


Till Death Do We Fall

by AvionVadion



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Blood, Character Death, Curses, Depression, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gore, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, Mass Confusion, Other, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Return by Death (Re:Zero), Romance, Time Travel, Time Travel Theory, dead yuu theory, overall just anything and everything that's dark and depressing, overblots, re:zero au, she writes for Mae's character, updates might take a hot minute since this is co-written with my sister
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:14:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 33,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27872857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvionVadion/pseuds/AvionVadion
Summary: It was over. They had failed. They told her again and again that returning home would mean her death, but she didn't care. She was just tired of it all. Her family was dead, anyhow, and no one seemed to notice how much pain she was in. Some rest would be nice for once. She wouldn't have to feel alone anymore. So why, the second she left, did everything fall out of control? Why, when she left, did everyone else die?Why...? The headmaster could only wonder.Iliana is given a second chance at life when the headmaster, in a last ditch effort, summons and revives her with her dead sister to Night Raven College. He used up all his magic and sacrificed his very being to ensure their survival, and the survival of the school. So whenever something goes wrong and they, or someone else, dies, they can restart- returning to their previous save point. And this time...Iliana doesn't have to go through it alone.
Relationships: Divus Crewel/Original Male Character(s), Jack Howl/Original Female Character(s), Leona Kingscholar/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 35





	1. Starting From Zero

**Author's Note:**

> Partially inspired by @twsty-lav on tumblr and the Re:Zero au ideas. I decided to add my own twist to it though, lol. Hence why there are two MCs instead of just one.

Everything was falling apart.

The floors had become cracked beneath the strong claws of the monster attacking them, its dragon-like talons tearing apart everything in its path, its thick lion-sharp fangs biting at anyone who tried to stand in its way. Long black tentacles shot out from beneath its fiery blue mane, smacking away the magic and snatching up the magicians who got too close.

There was almost nothing left that remained of the Hall of Mirrors. The students were fighting with all their power, but they were no match against the monster. The cobra at its tail let out a loud hiss and snapped, teeth digging into the flesh of a student- and as they screamed it swallowed the man whole. Large draconic wings flapped from the monster’s back, raising the creature in the air, and the people that were fighting could only run for lives when the beasts opened its jaw and let out a blast of blue flame, burning all in its wake.

Some students had been brave enough to cast a shield spell, but it did little to protect them from the heat itself, the flames of hell spreading around them- redirected by the forcefield. The headmaster watched with horror in his eyes as this all occurred, knowing at once that this was going to be the end of them.

“Grim is… too strong!” One of the students cried out, grey eyes filled with exhausted as blot filled up his red magic crystal. “We can’t stop him! Without the prefect…”

“This… is such… a nuisance!” Another growled, messy brown hair and black ceremonial cape billowing behind him as he defended himself from another fire blast, his lion ears twitching atop his head, tail swishing angrily.

“Now, now,” The third and one of the last remaining students standing called out, sweat beading down the sides of his face, his curly silver hair sticking to his skin, “don’t act that way! All we need to do is buy enough time! Headmaster, will you…”

The monster released a loud ear-piercing howl- one that touched deep into their hearts and made them shudder and almost lose focus. They just barely recovered in time to cast another barrier spell, and the man with the glasses glanced over his shoulder, blue eyes filled with both determination and fear.

“Will you please hurry!? You must bring Iliana back at once!”

“I can not, Mr. Ashengrotto!” The headmaster snapped, eyes nothing more than golden pinpricks at this point. “Returning through the mirror meant her death, yet she went anyway! The only way I could bring her back is to rewind time itself, and that _clearly_ won’t solve our issue unless-”

Oh.

Hold on a moment.

The headmaster whirled his head around, staring at the dark mirror and the few coffins that hadn’t been destroyed yet. He had no idea what summoned the girl to this world in the first place- some mysterious force that intended for the school’s downfall, perhaps? But it was her who had worked so hard to help all these selfish students, who had done every impossible task the headmaster himself had asked of her.

It was her leaving, her death, that led to her closest companion Overblotting in such a horrific manner.

If the headmaster uses all the magic he has to bring her back…

Yes. It has to work. It was the only choice they had left.

“My dearly beloved…” The man approached the mirror, watching as darkness swirled around it, green flames barely visible through the black. Arms extended, the headmaster forced himself to ignore the chaos happening behind him, a strained smile on his lavender-colored lips. “...such a lovely and noble flower of evil. Truly, you are the most beautiful of all.”

The man stepped through the pools of ink, through the black, and grasped the golden frame of the dark mirror.

“So tell me; magic mirror on the wall… who is the most _worthy_ of them all? The child who had gone off track, tell me what to do to bring her back!”

The mask within stared deep into his glowing eyes, before slowly moving its lips and speaking back. _“She was worthy, this is true. Yet the fault lies here; one alone can not stop what has become, for it was her alone that lived in fear. She accepted her death, unwilling to take another anxious breath.”_

No… it can’t be.

“You mean to say… there’s nothing we can do?” The headmaster asked, defeat washing over him like a tidal wave- the force so strong he almost collapsed. “There’s no other way?”

The mirror frowned. _“The child fought through-and-through for what she believed was right… so instead of one… why not summon forth two to endure the fight?”_

Of course. His golden eyes widened and he nodded, stepping back and holding a hand out to the mirror- palm facing the glass. The speaking mask disappeared, giving way to a hazy image of a land full of black. Bodies, no, _corpses_ , laid about- sinking deep into the abyss of ink. There were so many, all pale and cold and lifeless.

Stark white lilies floated around them, and as he spoke the man could feel the energy being drained from his body. The lifeforce being transformed into a spell- a curse- that would revive these children. Shuddering, he began, “For those who are guided by the dark mirror…”

The bodies began to move. They twitched, as if to show they were listening, and slowly but surely they started to rise. The headmaster stepped forward, reaching towards the glass- _into the mirror itself._ Something was trying to resist him, something that was most likely death itself, but he endured. He had to.

From behind him, in the background, the monster roared, and he could hear his last three remaining students shouting and screaming. Fighting and dying. Taking a deep breath, the man spoke again- reaching his hand in as far as it would go, all the way until his shoulder was against the rippling glass. He called out with all his might, praying that they could hear and that his magic was enough,

“...as long as your heart desires it, take the hand that appears in the mirror!”

Just barely, through the corners of his vision, he could see. A woman- taller, thinner, older- started to rise up against the corpses, body lifted in the air as if no more than doll. A girl, _Iliana_ , reached out from underneath all the corpses, climbing out of the mountain of bodies and grasping her leg as if to plead with her not to go. It was then he realized it; the resemblance between them. They were related. They were related, and they were both dead.

Was this why she left them? Why she willingly returned to her world even though it meant becoming nothing more than a corpse?

Suddenly, the woman lurched forward- soul stubbornly trying to return to the living. Iliana paused, as if accepting the loss, before slowly following, walking along the black and the lilies, pushing past the other bodies who had given up and who were crawling, their hollow voices crying out for salvation. Yet the two ignored them, and Iliana continued to follow the woman in front of her, following a woman who could only be her sister, back to life.

A burning sensation seemed to run across his skin when the eldest of the two grasped his wrist, the cold of death shaking him to the core as his life continued to be drain from this spell. The youngest reached out shortly after as well, small fingers curling around his hand.

Perhaps this was punishment, he mused, for being unable to stop her. For being unable to save her and all his other students.

But with this last act… it will all change. Nothing will ever be the same again.

And so, he pulled them through the mirror.

As they entered this world the color seemed to return to their skin, and they collapsed against him- limp and bare. The headmaster fell to a knee, wheezing as his face became pale, the strength fading from him faster than expected. This was the consequence for playing with reality, for playing with death and with fate. To save another, he must sacrifice himself. That was the price for this curse.

Quickly casting a spell to dress the girls, he wrapped them up in a pair of ceremonial robes. Afterwards, he used what little strength he had remaining inside of him to pull them over to the last remaining coffins- the _gates_ he was going to use to transport them.

The woman in one, the girl in the other. He placed a hand over their chests- a hand right above their slow-beating hearts.

An ear piercing screech hit his ears and the headmaster flinched, knowing full well the youngest of those students had just been killed- swallowed up by the cobra tail. He wishes he could say he would never forget that child, but he himself might not be alive much longer to remember.

_Forgive me, Mr. Rosehearts. You did well, and for that… I thank you._

Taking a deep breath, an eerie green glow began to emit from his hands, seeping into the girls’ bodies.

“Flames that can turn even the stars into ashes… ice that can imprison even time…”

So dizzy. His golden eyes flickered momentarily, the man struggling to retain consciousness.

“...and the greatest of trees that can swallow even the sky itself.”

He has to reset them. He has to save them. He has to have them redo everything, every single mistake needs to be righted. This man can’t afford to waste anymore time. As such, no matter how hard it is- no matter how painful the struggle- they have to keep going. They must save everyone in order to reach that happy end.

And so, as the discolored flowers began to bloom along their flesh, the curse settling deep into their hearts, the headmaster leaned down, choking as he felt the tears drip down his cold cheeks.

“You must _not_ be afraid of the darkness. Show your power- for me, for them… and for you.”

Please.

“We are _all_ running out of time.”

He can hear it- the sound of a lion’s roar before it was cut off short, followed after by a series of gurgles as the student choked on their own blood, impaled by one of the many tentacles controlled by the monster.

“So no matter what…”

The headmaster pulled away, ignoring the scream of the last and final student as they were thrown hard into a wall and then bit in half by a giant pair of jaws. He pulled the coffin lids over, staring at the girls with mournful eyes as their faces faded from view, the monster growling and approaching him from behind.

The orbs glowing bright green, his palms resting against them to give direction, he stated softly,

“...never let go of my hand.”

As the coffins vanished, soon to arrive in two separate ebony carriages, the headmaster leaned his head back, the golden glow of his eyes fading as the curse began to run its course. The monster finally stopped, drool and blood dripping from its fearsome muzzle as it glared down at the headmaster. The man stared up at it, arms falling to his sides as he felt the life drain from him, his body slowly disintegrating- starting with his fingertips.

“So this is it…”

This is the end.

“Forgive me… Grim.”

The monster roared, and when it lashed out to snatch him up in its mouth… the man disappeared into nothing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took a hot minute to the find the translations for the "stars and sky and great tree" bit. XD The youtube translations I followed didn't have them anywhere, as they included the boss battle with Overblot Grim, so I had to scour the depths of tumblr. This is gonna be a super angsty story, and I really hope I can do the "time loop" thing justice, because it's such a fun thing to play with and this story is gonna put my angst skills to the test.


	2. Day One

It was cold. It was cold and dark and suffocating, and it was near impossible to move. A shudder wracked my body and I coughed, back arching as a pain erupted inside of me- burning like ice and flame, two elements that should never meet mixing together in a terrifying concoction. Everything hurt.

And then… it didn’t.

I slumped back onto the ground of whatever it was I was lying on, wheezing as a thumping outside caught my attention. Gods, everything was pitch black. Just what was going on? I could make out a voice grumbling about something, but my ears were still ringing a bit from the earlier explosion of pain that I couldn’t quite hear what was being said.

Patting the area around me, trying to find some sort of understanding of what I was in, my brows furrowed. It felt like some kind of elongated box… that narrowed out near my feet. Wait, hold on. Patting the ground I was on, I realized it was actually some form of cushioning. Is this…

_Is this a coffin!?_

Why am I in a coffin?

Before I could even attempt to figure out an answer for it, the lid blew off and I was blinded by scorching hot blue flames, a scream ripping out from my lips as I cradled my arms close to my chest. Had my hands been any closer, they would have been burned off. Holy freaking fraggle monkeys in a wheelbarrow-! What the heck was that? What do I do?

Should I wait for the person to leave, or… should I attempt to jump out now that the flames have dispersed?

Hearing footsteps, I held my breath- suddenly very scared of this strange situation I found myself in. I flinched when a shadow crossed over the coffin and then stared in horror as the assailant peered in, a large shark-like grin being worn on their face. Getting a good look at them, I blinked, realizing that my assailant wasn’t even human- _it wasn’t even a person._

It was… a cat.

A fairly large tuxedo cat, with a dark grey coat and white fur on its chest. Blue flames that matched the one that attacked earlier were poking out of its ears, and its eyes- while the irises were a dark blue, the sclera- which should have been white- was merely a lighter shade cerulean. The cat wore a tattered black-and-white striped bow around its neck, and its tail… was a pitchfork? Weird.

“G-Gyaaaah!” The creature screamed, seeing me stare at it, and I slowly sat up when it jumped away. “Wh-Why are you awake!?”

Why am I…? I’m sorry, _what?_

Whoa, hold on. I looked around the room room in alarm, taking notice of the magically floating coffins. There had to be dozens of them, and each one had a large green orb resting in the center of their lids, with a small golden keyhole at the bottom. Could they only be unlocked with a key?

Wait, if I was in a coffin… are there other people inside those ones as well?

Actually, why am I even questioning this? The thing I should be focusing on is the weird creature who nearly burned me alive earlier with that lid-opening stunt! “H-How are you talking!?”

“I’ll have you know, I’m the Great Grim! Talking is an easy feat for some as genius as me.” The creature boldly declared, glaring at me. “Now hurry up and gimme those clothes!”

Clothes? I looked around me in confusion, before staring down at myself. My eyes went wide.

I was wearing some strange type of occult uniform, with a long black robe adored with golden accents and a purple inside decorated with tiny little gold keys that were crossing over each other. Beneath was a long black button-up with golden wings embroidered on the chest, the hem of the shirt flaring out and splitting into different sections. My pants were the plainest thing about this outfit, simply black and tucked into a pair of very fancy boots.

I held a hand up, staring at the sleeves, and taking note that the shirt went so far as to wrap around my middle finger. My nails…

Had they always been painted such a light shade of blue?

“Did you not hear me?” The creature growled, raising his hands up. “Give me those clothes now… or I’ll roast ya!”

Blue flames erupted out from his mouth and I screeched, barely ducking down into the coffin in time to avoid them. When the fire died down and I could move again, I panicked- vaulting over the coffin and making a run for it. “No thanks!” I yelped, dashing out of the room as fast as I could as I heard the creature let out another angered roar, flames hot on my heels.

What the hell is this!? A dream? A nightmare? Did I have too much caffeine and not realize it!?

Somebody… please…!

“H-Help!”

I have no idea where it is I’m running to. I think I was in some sort of school building, as I definitely passed by a couple of fancy classrooms. There was also a courtyard with a well and some beautiful looking apple trees, a couple hallways that seemed never ending… and… oh, thank gods, I found the exit! I pushed passed the doors, wheezing, exhaustion starting to get to me as I kept running.

How much… farther?

Gods, did this place have to have such a ridiculously large staircase?

“S-Someone-!”

Keep running, keep moving; don’t stop. If I stop I’m dead.

Wait, I think I see another building up ahead! There might be people in there.

Frantically changing course, I picked up pace and ran even faster- a hand resting over my side as my ribcage began to ache. I don’t think I’ve ever run this much in life; hell, I don’t think I was _allowed_ to run this much in my life before. I feel like I should have keeled over from exhaustion or hyperventilation several minutes ago when this chase first started.

I slammed face-first into the doors of the new building, unable to stop myself in time. My legs were absolute jello at this point, but I forced myself back up and began to smack my hands against the doors, screaming. “O-Open up! Help! Th-There’s… There’s this thing after me-!”

Frick. Frick, frickity, frick, frick.

I tried to open the doors. To my relief, they were unlocked and I could stumble into the room, gasping for air as I stumbled into a nearby table, clinging onto a chair for balance. This place… was it a library? There were shelves all around and books were somehow floating in the air. It was rather dark in here, save for the lanterns lighting the area green.

Oh no…

“D-Don’t tell me… it’s… closed…?”

Despair washed over me like a tidal wave and I almost collapsed, knees hitting the floor hard as my upper body draped against the seat of the chair. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, terrified of this defeat and the death that strange creature was surely about to bestow upon me. If this was in fact a dream… would I wake up if I died? If I dead here, would I die in real life?

What… do I do? I can’t… feel my legs anymore. I’m scared.

Everything hurts.

Just what… is going on around here!?

Suddenly the doors to the library burst open and I whirled around, letting out a frightened screech when familiar blue flames spread about the room, trailing after the creature as it walked forward, tail swishing, a malicious grin on its face. “Did you really think you could get away from _my_ nose? Keh! Such a dumb human…”

No. No, no, no! I-I don’t… want this…

I watched in horror as the creature moved closer, unable to get my body to stand or do anything. “If you don’t want to get roasted, then you better do as I say and…!”

It couldn’t finish, a long cord appearing out from the open doors and slamming hard into the creature, sending it flying into a bookshelf. Surprisingly, the furniture didn’t topple over from the force, though a few books did fall out of place and land on the creature. It let out a whine, trying to crawl out from the mess, but before it could escape the cord lashed out and hit it again.

“ _Fnaaagh!_ It hurts!” The creature let out an angered yell, struggling when the cord wrapped around its body, tying it up. “W-What is with this rope?”

‘“This is no mere rope!” A voice declared, an unfamiliar man stepping into the room. He looked quite strange, what with the sparkling violet vest he wore, and the crow mask that covered the upper half of his face. He snapped the fingers on his free hands, and all the flames that had been in the room vanished. “It is a lash-of-love! And you, young man-!”

He whirled around and I recoiled, looking up at him in alarm when he pointed a clawed finger at me, the golden pinpricks that were his eyes narrowing in displeasure.

“Aren’t you one of the new students? I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Who said you could wander off on your own!?”

I… have no idea what he’s talking about. I watched as he marched over to the bookcase where the creature was struggling, leaning down and snatching it up in his hand.

“Leaving the gate by yourself is absolutely prohibited, but even worse than that…” He held the creature up for me to see, the cat monster hissing and trying to bite at the cord to free itself. The man glared down at me, seemingly furious. “You brought an untamed familiar with you to the school! Do you realize _at all_ how many rules have been broken because of your foolish behavior!?”

“L-Let me go!” The creature snapped, tail swishing below as it failed to unravel itself from the cord. “I-I’m not… his freakin’ familiar!”

“Yes, yes.” The man said with a roll of his eyes, unimpressed. “All rebellious familiars say that. Just be quiet for a moment, will you?” The creature tried to argue, but its cries were muffled when the man pressed the creature against his chest, a gloved hand wrapped firmly over its muzzle to keep it from talking. The man let out a heavy sigh, his head leaning over to the side. “My goodness… talk about unprecedented. How impatient can you be?”

I had no idea what was going or what he was talking about, but I found myself letting out a breathy apology when I realized I was getting lectured. I was still a bit baffled by everything, not quite understanding what that creature was or why it was after me, or even what this place is, but I wasn’t keen on making an adult upset. “I-I’m… sorry…”

He huffed. “As long as you understand your mistake and learn from this, there will be no punishment… for I am kind. Alright?” The man walked forward, keeping the creature’s face pressed to his chest, and then he knelt down in front of me. “You’re quite pale. Hmph; this is why you must tame your familiars, otherwise they lash out. Such a foolish child. Can you stand?”

I blinked, seeing his outstretched hand.

I stared at it for a moment, noticing the weird claw-like armor pieces that were attached to his gloves, and then up at him- wondering if he was even human. The glowing eyes and the shark-like teeth really unnerved me, causing massive warning bells to go off in my head. Each tooth was sharp and deadly, and could probably tear through flesh if needed. Maybe I shouldn’t trust him... regardless of whether or not he saved me.

I took a deep breath. Trying to hide how terrified I was of this person, I forced myself to place my hand in his and let him pull me onto my feet, the man grabbing onto my shoulder to help steady me when I almost fell over.

I was seriously exhausted. My legs were nothing more than jelly.

This place… I’m not so sure I like it.

Once I was able to stand by myself, the man spoke up again. “Will you follow me, please? The entrance ceremony is well under way and is bound to be ending soon. Ah- easy there.” He gave a light push to my back, guiding me out of the room while keeping the creature silent. “You’re lucky I am such a kind and understanding headmaster! Forgiving you as easily as this… ahaha! I truly am so kind.”

That was twice that he mentioned how kind he was. I’m starting to believe he was just fooling himself. Then again, he did save me… and I wasn’t fond of arguing, so I wasn’t going to complain. If he wanted to believe he was kind then so be it; that was his prerogative. Especially if it meant I could keep living.

I gave a tired nod at his words, physically drained from all the exercise I was just put through. I felt like I could fall asleep at any second, arms dangling at my sides and legs feeling like lead. “Th… Thank you, sir.” I never wanted to run like that again. I honestly thought I was going to die. 

“You are very welcome!” The man grinned. “The Hall of Mirrors is this way; please do take care not to run off this time.”

“Um… okay.” My eyebrows furrowed and I blinked, looking at my feet to make sure I didn’t trip over anything. “Yes, sir.”

He watched me as we walked, matching my pace despite his long legs once it became clear I was still too dazed to move quickly. “You’re a polite one, aren’t you? I would not have suspected that from a student who has already disregarded several rules.”

I blinked sleepily, gazing up at him with half-lidded eyes. I felt so exhausted; it was hard for my emotions to make themselves known. The man frowned, something flickering in those glowing orbs of his.

“Normally students wake up only after a special key is used to open their doors, but… you seem to be the exception. Why is that, I wonder?”

“Doors…? Oh.” He must mean the coffins. I glanced at the creature who had attacked me, the monster having finally stopped struggling and just slumped against the man’s side instead. “I-I don’t… know. I was asleep, but then… I heard noise. That thing was trying to open the coffin, I think.”

“I _told you_ ,” The creature growled, managing to get part of its face away from the gloved hand, “I am the great Grim!”

“Hush, hush.” The man’s frown deepened, and he carefully grabbed its muzzle again. “So, in the end the familiar is to blame. Honestly, if you’re going to bring the familiar here with you then at least take responsibility and properly care for it! Familiars should not be attacking or scaring their masters!”

“But… Grim isn’t my-”

“No buts! You are going to be a magician! No student of mine should be making such foolhardy excuses! Learn from this incident, understand? I do not want to see this again. Night Raven College is not a playground for children!”

Wait.

“N… Night Raven what?”

“Night Raven College.” He answered, guiding me through the courtyard. I recognized it as the one I had ran through before in my attempt to get away from the evil cat monster. “You’re clearly still disoriented from the transportation magic, not to mention the attack from your own familiar, so…”

He let out a small hum, thinking deeply for a moment.

“I suppose I can explain. I am so benevolently kind, after all. I, Dire Crowley, am the Headmaster of this college. People blessed with the unique aptitude for magic gather from all over the world to join the most prestigious magical academy here in Twisted Wonderland! That academy being this one here.”

“Th-This is… seriously a magical academy?” Holy frick. This is insane. I brought a hand up under my hood, resting it against the back of my neck as I tried to take in this new information. “S-So… everyone in this college… can become wizards? A-And witches?”

“Magicians.” He corrected politely. “Only those magicians seen as worthy by the Mirror of Darkness can attend this school. Chosen ones use the Gate and are summoned here from around the world.”

There is way too much lore for me to process at once. I can’t keep up. “Gate?”

“The room you woke up in. With all the doors.”

My eyes widened. “Oooh…”

Those coffins must be the gates he was talking about. The Headmaster continued, ignoring Grim’s muffled protesting, “An Ebony Carriage carrying a gate should have gone to meet you as well. That carriage goes to welcome new students chosen by the Mirror of Darkness. They are special carriages that carry doors to the academy. It was decided long ago that carriages were the best way to welcome people on special days.”

Hah? Who decided that? Wait…

I scrunched my nose up, coming to a halt as I tried to recall anything about a carriage. Headmaster Crowley stopped when he saw me quite walking, watching as I brought a hand up to my chin. “I-I remember… a forest, I think? And maybe a green light...”

It was so dark and cold. The Headmaster nodded at me with a polite smile.

“Yes! That is correct. Now come- we must not dawdle. The ceremony is nearing its close and we have yet to get you sorted.”

He placed a hand on my back and gave me another light push, urging me to walk forward. This man was seriously making some kind of mistake; there was no way I had magic! I was still in the middle of high school, I think, so there was no way I could be old enough for college! This was a really messed up dream.

Wait, didn’t they mistake my gender twice now? I know I’ve confused some people in the past because of how short I kept my hair and the way I would occasionally dress, but my voice was fairly high pitch. Ah, maybe they thought that I haven’t gone through puberty yet. That would make sense.

Ah, well, whatever. It’ll get revealed soon enough; I’m rather curious to see how long I can keep them fooled. I’m sure it’ll be over when it gets revealed that I can’t use magic or that I’m too young to actually go to this college.

So I remained quiet, simply following the headmaster down the path to a building on the far east end of the campus.

When we entered the Hall of Mirrors I was a little alarmed by the large crowd of students, all them separated into different groups. Their eyes all turned towards us and I froze, suddenly panicked as we became the center of attention. The people in the room had been chatting with each other, wondering and theorizing where the headmaster had went, and we arrive at just the right moment to overhear them.

Headmaster Crowley was neither pleased nor amused. “I cannot believe you all!” He exclaimed, thoroughly upset at their accusations and assumptions. He curled his fingers around my left shoulder, making sure that everyone knew I existed. “A student was missing so I went to find him! I did not “abandon my duties” or get a silly “stomachache”.”

They… didn’t have a whole lot of faith in him, did they?

I awkwardly raised a hand, opening my mouth to speak, but the man cut me off- lowering his head to look at me. “You are the only one not to be assigned to a dormitory. I shall watch over this rebellious raccoon dog of yours, so step in front of the mirror.”

“W-Wha-? Uh, o-oh, right. Sorry.”

Jeez, could he be anymore intense? I really don’t want to do this.

I worried my bottom lip and fiddled with my sleeves, tugging on them as I looked up at the mirror floating in the center of the room. A pale mask of a face stood within the glass, black masquerade lines painted around its eyes as though to make it more mysterious. Green smoke wafted around the mask, only adding to the sense of foreboding that had formed in the pit of my stomach.

Standing around the mirror were six people- all of whom were rather tall except one, who was more of an average height- and a floating screen. Seeing their gazes on me I ducked my head, trying to avoid their stares. I was just about to start walking when one of the shorter cloaked figures raised a hand in the air.

“A-Actually, Headmaster…” The boy began, catching the adult’s attention. His red eyes looked at him, and then pointed at one of the people in their small group- the one who was standing next to the mirror. “...we’re having some trouble sorting this one.”

Crowley looked very confused. “Why is that? Could the mirror not sort his soul?”

“Well, that’s the thing.” He continued. “There’s no magic to sort.”

“Not to mention the fact that _he_ is actually a _she.”_ Another one commented, pushing his glasses as his blue eyes looked over to us.

I blinked, tilting my head in confusion. “Hah?”

The person they were talking about turned around, lowering their hood from their face, and I went still. My breath hitched in my throat as a flood of emotions I couldn’t quite describe came washing over me, tears stinging my eyes as I looked at the young woman before us.

She was tall, pale, with freckles dotting her cheeks, and she had short black hair brushed to the left side of her face. Oddly enough, dancing along the right side of her forehead and just under her eye were discolored lilies- looking more like scars than tattoos. Her lips were painted a pale blue, and her irises shone a brilliant hazel green and stood out against all the black make-up.

“M… Mae?” I stammered, unable to believe what I was seeing.

She blinked, visibly started by my knowing her name. I quickly lowered my hood, and she stepped forward- equally confused. “Iliana?”

A large grin spread across my face, tears stinging my eyes as I broke out into a run towards her, uncaring of how exhausted I was. I just felt so happy, so relieved to see her. She let out a small grunt as I crashed into her, my arms curling around her thin waist as I pressed my face against her chest. “I’m so glad you’re here! I-I was-I was so scared!”

“H-hey, short-stop, what’s going on?”

I shook my head and pulled away, but didn’t quite release her. “I-I don’t know-! There was fire, a-and an angry cat monster thing, and this headmaster saying I was supposed to be student here, and- and now this!”

“I don’t believe it…” Headmaster Crowley muttered, watching us with little golden pinpricks for eyes, before he let out a gasp and brought his hands up to his face, dropping Grim in the process. “How is this possible!? In all my years never has the mirror brought a girl here! This is an all-boys school! How could such a mistake even be made- nonetheless made twice!?”

Mae and I looked at him, the both of us realizing we weren’t supposed to be here. Hands curling close to my chest as I felt my heart pick up pace, I shifted my feet again. Perhaps I was imagining it, but I was starting to feel like we were being surrounded. My anxiety was spiking to unhealthy levels.

“I-I’m sorry…”

“No, no; this must just be a misunderstanding!” Headmaster Crowley continued, taking a deep breath. Grim was in the process of unravelling himself from the lash of love. ““The Ebony Carriage would never pick up someone who can’t use magic, nonetheless two girls! Such a grave error hasn’t been made in a hundred years- at least! So why?”

“Mistake or not, we’re here.” Mae stated bluntly, narrowing her eyes at the headmaster.

Headmaster Crowley looked at her when she said that, glowing eyes flickering briefly as he brought a clawed hand up to his chin. My shoulders scrunched up and I glanced away again, shuffling side-to-side, only growing more nervous as the whispers kept continuing.

Grey eyes beneath a hood were narrowed, scrutinizing me, while a pair of blue ones calmly watched- a finger tapping against a jawline inquisitively. The lilac eyes from before were still cold, but the pair next to it- colored a bright shade of red- were full of a childish curiosity. Emerald orbs peered out from the shadows beneath the hood, simply watching with mild curiosity, and in the corner beside him a blue floating screen- the words _AUDIO ONLY_ written across it.

I felt like a rabbit- trapped in a den of hungry animals that were about to pounce at any moment. I wondered how Mae was feeling, if she was any bit scared at all, though from the way her fingers dug protectively into my back gave me my answer, the older woman holding me to her as she stared down the men surrounding us.

Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I tried to focus on the headmaster- hoping that we would be able to go home with our lives and sanity in tact. He muttered to himself, confused, “Why now of all times…?”

That was when I noticed it- the lash left discarded on the ground. Grim was nowhere to be seene. Where did he-? Whoa!

“How about I take their place then!?”

Everyone turned to see the evil cat-like creature standing several feet away. He had freed himself successfully from the lash-of-love and was now showing off a shark-toothed grin, confidence radiating from his form. His eyes turned to me and I tensed, bracing my legs for action as tightened my grip on my older sister- preparing to push her away from whatever flames he sent towards us.

His tail lashed fiercely behind him and then… he charged. “Give me that uniform!”

Headmaster Crowley dived for his whip, sending the cord smacking in his direction. “You rebellious little familiar-! Stay put, will you!?”

“Fnaagh! Never!”

He watched as Grim jumped and avoided the hit, and seeing him flying right towards my face I yelped and was about to push Mae away, but before I knew what happened _I_ was the one sent falling onto the ground as she reeled her fist back and punched the cat monster square in the jaw. Grim let out a wail, falling back from the force of the blow, and she glared down at him.

“I think not, you little fucker.”

Some of the students gasped. Grim’s fur stood on end as he pushed himself up, spitting out some blood after his cheek had gotten cut on his fangs. He glared. “Unlike you dumb humans, I can actually use magic! Just give me one of your uniforms so I can take your place! If you need proof of my magic, I can show your right now! Check it-!”

The cloaked figure with the grey eyes quickly threw out an arm, shouting, “Everyone get down! Quick!”

Grim took a deep breath and opened his mouth, letting loose a giant blast of blue flame. One of the cloaked figures screamed, having dodged the blast but done so in a way that his rear end caught fire.

“S-Somebody help-!” He exclaimed, panicking as he furiously tried to pat the flames away, yet only making it worse. “My butt-! My butt is on fire! Hot-ot-ot-ot!”

Mae had shoved me onto the ground without a second thought, a hand on the back of my head until it was safe to look up. People were shouting and screaming, and blue flames were dancing around the entire room. Headmaster Crowley was trying to calm the crowds while the important-looking people from earlier were arguing, trying to figure out who should catch the rampaging Grim. It was utter chaos.

“Clearly you all need more proof of my magic!” Grim declared, shouting dramatically. “Behold my power!”

The grey-eyed boy who had been standing near the mirror threw out an arm, calling out a warning. “He’s doing it again! Move!”

Having already experienced this first-hand I knew what was coming based on his pose. Fear crawled down my spine like little bugs and I tensed, momentarily panicking as I glanced around. Everyone was shouting, scurrying out of range. I myself wanted to try to do the same, but Mae had a firm hold of me and she wasn’t letting go. Then again, she normally did know what was best to do in these kinds of situations, so it would probably be smart to listen to her.

Blue flames blew out of Grim’s mouth and overtook the area, and as they neared I squeezed my eyes shut- not sure if I was expecting pain or to wake up back home. Thankfully, due to our position the pain never came. When the fire died down again the people started rushing towards the cat monster, trying to catch him with either their hands or with magic- casting spells by using some kind of weird pen with a gem attached to it?

Regardless, it didn’t change the fact that Headmaster Crowley was utterly furious. “The school is going to be a sea flames if this keeps up! Will somebody please catch that raccoon dog!?”

The masked man was frustrated, lashing his whip at Grim and only becoming more aggravated when the cat managed to avoid him. Mae and I both watched as this occurred, and then there was the sound of heels clacking against the ground. One of the taller important-looking people was walking over to us.

“Hurry!”

He moved with a certain grace about him- not once stumbling with his steps. His heels were practically stilettos and yet his gait was elegant and refined. Strands of pale blond hair could be seen poking out from beneath his hood, and he carefully knelt down beside us. “Can you two move?” He asked. “Come, this way.”

What?

As we stood, the blond sent a glare towards the green-eyed man next to the mirror, who looked more tired than annoyed. “Leona, don’t you think you should catch that little beast for us? Aren’t you good at hunting?”

“Catch the thing yourself.” Leona glared, emerald eyes darkening.

“Oh? Does it not look like a nice, plump snack?”

“Please leave this to me, Headmaster Crowley!” A person declared, raising a fist up in the air. A bright smile was plastered on his face, his blue eyes directed towards the headmaster. “I’m sure the others couldn’t stomach harming such an adorable little creature, so I will handle it myself!”

 _“That’s Azul for you.”_ I heard.

It took a minute for me to realize it was coming from the floating blue screen. I jumped, instinctively reaching out to grab onto Mae. The screen floating was just as weird as the coffins.

The voice continued, _“He’s always trying to earn himself brownie points.”_

Leona clicked his tongue. “Bunch of suck ups…”

The red-eyed boy from before was still shouting, running around the room while avoiding Grim, smacking his own rear, and seeing this the headmaster let out a loud ground. He placed a hand on his hip while the other pressed against his forehead. “Is anyone even listening to me!?”

This really has gone all wrong… I feel so guilty.

Grim was only here because of me; he opened my coffin and chased me all throughout the school. Maybe I should just give him the uniform- he might calm down then, though why he wants it so bad when it won’t even fit him I’m not really sure. Maybe I could use it to trap him…

No, that wouldn’t work. There’s no way he’d fall for it.

I watched as the blue-eyed man approached the shortest person of the cloaked group. The majority of the people had stopped running around, instead huddling together away from the danger, while others were still freaking out and trying to put out the fires. The red-eyed boy especially.

“Care to help me, Riddle?” Azul asked, smiling at the grey-eyed boy. “The raccoon dog certainly has some moxie.”

“I can’t overlook those who break the rules.” The one called Riddle stated, frowning as he placed a hand on his hip. “Let’s hurry and get this over with.”

I really wanted to help. More flames poured out of Grim’s mouth, the cat letting out a furious roar. The blond man directed us to stand behind the mirror where it was safest, only to shake his head afterwards in annoyance. “All this heat is going to make my hair friz… how irritating.”

Mae kept a hand curled around the back of my head and her arm around my shoulders, holding me close. “It’s gonna be okay…”

It was starting to feel like this nightmare was never ending. Then again, if my sister was here… was this actually reality? I’m not sure of anything anymore, and all this danger is becoming overwhelming. I had no idea what to do- and I was _terrified._

“I’ve said it countless times already; I’m not a raccoon dog!” The cat monster shrieked. “The one who will become the greatest magician ever is me- the Great Grim!”

“H-He’s really mad…”

Mae said nothing, merely continuing to stroke my hair as I clung to her tighter.

Azul and Riddle chased Grim all throughout the area, pulling out those weird pens I’ve seen other students using, and shooting spells at him. When they got a little too close the three of us that were hiding in this corner of the room moved closer to where Headmaster Crowley was still standing. He was mumbling something irritably, glaring in the direction Grim was. He snapped his fingers, going about the room and magically putting out several of the fires that had been forming.

Riddle shouted something I didn’t quite catch at Grim, and then snapped, “You’ve got some nerve! How dare you come in here!? Cats are not allowed at a festival!”

Grim laughed. “Nyaha~! You can’t catch me!”

“Why you~! Azul, you’re messing around too much! Take this seriously!”

The two ended up chasing Grim out of the room.

Mae hesitantly loosed her grip, staring at the doors before turning to look at the headmaster. I followed her gaze and worried my bottom lip, wondering if he was going to yell at us for this mess. It would be easy to cast the blame on someone else, especially in a situation like this, as it was technically my fault Grim was here. If the headmaster was angry and he wanted to lash out at me, it wouldn’t be surprising at all.

Though I can’t… say that I would handle being yelled at very well.

That aside, he did manage to finish putting out all the fires. During the time that Azul and Riddle were off chasing Grim, the panicking students started to calm down- although their whispering hadn’t ceased. They were still talking about the crazed monster and the magicless girls that had been summoned..

Suddenly the doors slammed open. Azul and Riddle came marching in with Grim, the cat dangling from the blue-eyed man’s arms. Something weird was wrapped around Grim’s neck overtop his bow, shaped almost like a heart.

Azul looked quite pleased with the outcome of the capture, and as they approached he purred, “Ah, Riddle’s unique magic really is something, isn’t? Able to seal any magic with your own… I want it.”

Seeing the way the redhead turned to frown at him, he quickly added,

“Noton me, of course.”

“You two ladies!” I flinched when the headmaster shouted at us, and it took all the willpower I had not to burst out into tears then and there. Headmaster Crowley grabbed Grim from Azul, holding the cat up for us- no, for _me_ to see.

“This is your familiar, is it not? Do something about this!”

My grip tightened slightly on my sister’s robe, and feeling my legs start to tremble, I tried to shut emotions down so I could speak. “He’s not-”

“He’s not _what?”_ The headmaster hissed.

Mae frowned, expression contorting into a glare as she stared up at the headmaster, the woman carefully pushing me behind her. “He’s not _her_ s.”

“Yours, then?”

“No.”

“Eh?” His glowing eyes became pinpricks. “He isn’t? Then… why didn’t either of you tell me sooner?”

I peered up at him from my spot behind Mae, both nervous and completely exasperated. “Y-You wouldn’t let me!”

“I… Is that right?” Headmaster Crowley was stunned. He cleared his throat, “W-Well then, we should get this creature out of the school.” He held Grim up, staring him down with cold eyes. “You’re lucky you won’t be turned into a stew. Reason being? Because I am so kind. Now come.”

Headmaster Crowley carried the cat out of the doors, disappearing for several minutes.

As they left through the doors I could hear Grim wailing, talking about how he was definitely going to become the greatest magician ever and that nothing was going to stop him. But then his cries were silenced, too far away for anyone to hear. My tense shoulders relaxed and I slumped over, exhausted and still very much in pain.

“Th-That was intense…”

“Just a little bit…” Mae breathed, shaking her head. “What the hell is going on here? Where _are_ we?”

Everyone was staring at us again, and the crowd of important looking cloaked figures were heading over to us. I did not like social gatherings; crowds freaked me out and being cornered only made my anxiety worse. Being surrounded like this was an utter nightmare.

I almost cringed when the one with blue eyes folded his arms over his chest, gazing at us curiously. “Night Raven College,” He informed politely, “it’s an all-boys school.”

Oh, frick.

“Things are starting to make sense now.” Mae said, pressing a hand to her forehead. It was then that I saw her long nails were painted lavender. She scowled. “That still doesn’t explain why we were brought here, though. Why the hell would your “precious mirror” make such a huge mistake?”

“We’re all wondering the same thing.” The lilac-eyed blond from before commented, folding his arms over his chest. He eyed us strangely, as if hoping to find the answer somewhere in our appearance. “You two are sisters, are you not? You look quite alike, and you did know each others names.”

“What of it?” Mae demanded, holding me to her. I blinked, looking up and watching the conversation take place. “Got a problem with us?”

“Oh, calm down, will you?” He seemed displeased. “I’m not picking a fight; it was merely a question. It’s odd that the mirror chose not one, but two magicless girls to come here- and you being siblings only add the wonder of it all.”

 _“It’s like the percentages on a gacha game being wrong…”_ The floating device commented. _“...or even modded. Like a super rare item, or something that never made it into the game but you can still find in the files.”_

The red-eyed boy looked at us, looking much happier now that his butt wasn’t fire. “I don’t really understand what you just said, Idia, but… okay. Hey, what’s your guys’ names again? I’m Kalim!” 

“...Mae.” My sister answered. She looked down at him, trying to read him and judge whether or not he could be trusted. She loosened her hold and placed a hand on my head. “This tiny marshmallow here is Iliana. She’s my little sister.”

“This is mind boggling,” Riddle muttered, bringing a hand up to his head, “and yet there is not a single rule stating that the carriage isn’t allowed to bring a female to this school… even though Night Raven College is meant to be all boys. Not even the rules set for Heartslabyul have anything to go against them being here…”

Before Mae or I could even think to come up with a response to that, the door opened. The headmaster waltzed back in, clapping his hands together as if to say “good riddance” to the cat monster who had tormented us all. I almost felt bad for Grim, but my jello legs told me not to. Besides, he scared a lot of people in this place.

“Alright, everyone!” Headmaster Crowley exclaimed, catching everyone’s attention. “There was a bit of trouble along the way, but this brings the entrance ceremony to a close! Dormitory leaders, please escort the new students to their dormitories. Ah- wait, now that I think about it…”

He glanced around the room.

“The Dorm Leader for Diasomnia, Mr. Draconia, isn’t around.”

Leona sighed. “That’s no different from usual, isn’t it? He never shows up.”

“What?” Kalim blinked, red eyes wide. “Did no one tell him about the ceremony?”

Oh, wow. Vil shot Kalim a look, unimpressed with his reaction. “If you’re going to complain, you should invite him yourself.”

The boy made a face, eyes conflicted as he folded his arms over his chest. “But I don’t really know him all that well…”

More whispering broke out in the room from the crowds of students. I felt a little relieved knowing it wasn’t about me this time, but I couldn’t help but feel for the guy who had been forgotten. If I was understanding this all correctly, that person never receives invitations- even to events as important as this one.

“By Draconia…” A person murmured. “D-Do they mean that Malleus Draconia?”

That was one heck of a name. “Malleus…?”

“Does he actually go to this school?” Another panicked. “Scary…”

A deep voice spoke up, startling me as I hadn’t even noticed his presence. From under the hood I could make out magenta-red eyes and dark hair, his face so delicate it almost didn’t match with his voice at all. “I knew it.” He frowned, crossing his arms. “I was hoping Malleus would be here, but it seems the invitation “never arrived” again.”

I made a face at that, leaning my head back and cringing. “Oh my gods. H-How do you keep forgetting to invite the same person? Don’t you have a roll call or something?”

Azul shook his head, approaching the stranger and pressing a hand to his chest. “My deepest apologies! I promise, we didn’t intend to exclude him.” Riddle nodded in agreement.

“He has this aura that makes it hard to approach…”

“It’s fine.” The stranger sighed. He looked up, turning the crowd behind him. “Members of the Diasomnia Dormitory can follow me! If it pleases you...”

“Yes.” Azul spoke again, turning to his own crowd of students. “Octavinelle- follow me!”

“Heartslabyul!” Riddle shouted.

“Savanaclaw! This way.” Leona disappeared out the room.

I stood there awkwardly, wondering what was going to happen now. I still haven’t woken up yet, so the idea of this being reality was just growing stronger, leaving my stomach to twist and churn grossly. It was even more worrisome because Mae was here as well, though I did find some comfort in the fact that I wasn’t completely alone in this place.

“Today did not go as planned.” Headmaster Crowley sighed. “Girls- ah, what’re your names again?”

“Mae and Iliana Belladonna.” My sister answered.

“Right. Well, I’m terribly sorry about all of this, but we must have you leave.” Oh, thank gods. The headmaster looked at us with a sympathetic frown. “Those without the talent for magic cannot be allowed to attend school here. But there is no need to worry!”

He settled a hand on each of our shoulders, smiling brightly and showing off those sharp teeth of his.

“The Mirror of Darkness will send you back from whence you came!”

The man proceeded to guide us over to the closest coffins. Though a little hesitant, we awkwardly climbed into them and laid down. When he went to close the lid, a part of me panicked- alarmed to be swallowed in black once more. Not having a way to calm myself, I ended up fiddling with my fingers, staring up into the darkness nervously.

“Stay inside the Gate and picture your home clearly in your mind…”

Home… yes. I want to go home. I want to wake up from this dream.

I want to find myself curled up in bed, burrowed beneath my many blankets. I want to find myself waiting for the next installment of my favorite video games or even for the next episode of my favorite anime. I want to visit Mae at her apartment and try to get her obsessed with new shows. I just… want to be anywhere other than here.

“Oh, Mirror of Darkness! Guide these children back to where they belong~!”

I wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen. Maybe there was supposed to be a sound effect or a green light, but instead all I could hear was the headmaster clearing his throat.

“One more time…” He mumbled, and then raised his voice dramatically again. “Oh, Mirror of Darkness! Guide this-”

_“These young maidens cannot get back.”_

“Eh?” Please no. Tell me it isn’t so. “What did you just say?”

_“There is no such place as this; here in Twisted Wonderland their home simply doth not exist. I cannot send them back.”_

Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I tried to ignore the wheezing in my chest and shifted, kicking and pushing at the coffin lid to try and get myself free.

“This is unbelievable…!” I heard footsteps, the sound of a key turning in a lock, and then Headmaster Crowley was there- pushing the door away and allowing me to sit up. He eyed me for a moment. “Then again, the unbelievable is right in front of me…”

“S-Sorry.” I apologized.

“This is the first time something like this has happened since I’ve become headmaster of this school,” The man man told me as he moved over to unlock the coffin my sister was in, the man frowning deeply as he watched her sit up, “so I’m not sure what exactly should be… ah! Where exactly is it you’re from?”

After a moment of hesitation, I looked at Mae and then told him.

“America…? Hmm.” The man brought a hand up to his chin. “I’ve never heard of such a place. I have a general grasp of where all my students hail from and yet… this is the first time such a name has been spoken. Let’s do some research in the library.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first death will most likely be at the Dwarfs' Mines. Just a heads up, so you can be prepared. It's gonna be gruesome. 
> 
> What do you guys think of Mae and Iliana so far?


	3. Day One's End

Not really knowing what else we could or should do, my sister and I followed him. When we arrived in the library, I was actually rather surprised to find myself recognizing it. This was the place… where I had first met him. Where he had saved me from Grim. It looked a lot more lively now that there were actually lights on.

He had us follow him to a couple of shelves, where he told us which group of books to collect. Later, at a table surrounded by at least a couple dozen hardbacks, several of which were open, we ended up studying and reading until our heads hurt. I actually zoned out at one point, not at all understanding what was being said in these, regardless of the fact that I could read the language.

Around thirty or so minutes later the headmaster spoke, hanging his head in defeat. “There’s nothing in here… nothing at all…”

He leaned back and set the book on the table, sighing.

“Not only the world map, but even the very name of the place you come from… it’s nowhere in history. Are you truly from where you say?” He fixed us with a stern look, frowning deeply. “You two better not be lying to me…”

“Why would we?” Mae questioned, frowning. “We have no idea where we are; there’s nothing to be gained from lying about it. It would just put us in an even worse situation.”

He contemplated that for a moment before bringing a hand to his forehead. His eyes scanned the pages of the many scrolls and books we’ve been reading, golden eyes turning into little pinpricks. “Then… looking at all this…”

The headmaster paused.

“It _could_ be possible that you’ve been brought here from another planet? Or… maybe even from another world?”

I blinked. “You mean… like… an anime protagonist?”

Headmaster Crowley snapped his fingers, pointing at me. “Exactly!”

“Holy shit.” Mae stated. She looked at me, stunned, though not like she actually believed this nonsense. “We’ve been isekai’d.”

“What would that title be, though?” I questioned, making a face. I tapped a finger against my lips. “It would have to be something silly, like- _That Time My Sister And I Got Pulled Into Another World And Wound Up Getting Attacked By An Angry Cat Monster-_ right?”

I looked at her with a grin.

“That sounds accurate, doesn’t it?”

“It does. Question is,” She held a hand up and pointed at me, expression of the utmost seriousness, “do we have any super cool anime protagonist powers?”

“Excuse me!” The headmaster exclaimed, standing up and placing his hands on his hips. He glared. “This is an extremely serious matter! Can you two please stop joking around?”

I hurriedly smacked my hands over my face, ducking my head with a muffled apology. The man sighed.

“Do you girls know what you had on your person when you arrived here? A form of identification, say- a license to drive a magic car or a name on a shoe?Anything at all?”

Mae and I stood, both patting ourselves down and feeling our ceremonial robes for something. I couldn't find anything; not the regular bulge of a cellphone in my pocket or even the paper hems that got ripped off after I finished a drawing in my notebook. “N-No, I-I don’t…”

I looked up at him in horror.

“I-I don’t have anything…”

“I don’t either.” Mae informed with a frown, pale blue lips tilting downwards. She reached into the front of her robe, but still there was nothing. “My license and wallet are gone, too. Damn it!”

My sister scowled.

“I see.” Headmaster Crowley brought a hand up to his chin, deep in thought. “This is troublesome. I can’t just let someone without magic stay in this school, but I can’t toss two young penniless girls out on the streets without any form of communication either. As headmaster I must take responsibility for what the school has done… but what to do…?”

Thinking for a moment, his eyes lit up and he grinned, seemingly pleased with himself. He snapped his fingers, unfolding his arms and placing a hand on his hip.

“I know! There is an unused building on campus. It was once used as a dormitory in the past, so once cleaned up a little I’m sure you both can at the very least sleep there. I will let you stay in that building for the time being! During that time, I will search for a way to get you home.” He laughed, placing a hand against his chest. “My kindness is truly limitless! I am a model for all educators!”

I… I have no words.

It took a few long seconds before I could bring myself to speak. My brain was still having trouble processing this insane situation, and this man constantly praising himself for some self-centered validation of being kind was only weirding me out more. “Th-Thank you… sir.”

I glanced at Mae. The woman looked like she was close to losing her temper. “That’s _very_ kind of you.” She said, eye twitching. I glanced at the discolored flowers on her face, once again wondering where they came from and how she got them. “Thanks.”

Headmaster Crowley beamed. “Of course! And despite its current standing, there is a bit of charm to the dorm; I assure you! There is absolutely nothing to worry about.”

...Is what he said.

But as we arrived to the crickety old gate of the dorm I realized there was definitely plenty to be worried about.

The building was so old and run down that it just _had_ to be haunted. There was no way it wasn’t. All sorts of dead trees surrounded the area, circled by overgrown weeds and rocks that had made themselves home here. There was a small water well nearby, but even that was covered in cobwebs. I saw a couple spiders climbing along a nearby tree and jolted, stepping closer to Mae and latching onto her arm in fright.

So gross.

It only got worse when we walked up to the creaky old porch, as I could count out several more disturbing little critters running along its flooring. It almost felt like an evil witch or some weird ax murderer could be living in the dorm, or like one would come running out of the trees to attack us.

Gods, I want to go home. This was officially the worst day of my life. “Th-This place… really is charming, isn’t it?”

“Oh, very.” Mae said, nose crunching up at the sight of some bugs. I was going to have to kill them for her later, wasn’t I? The things I do for family. Le sigh. “The most charming a place has ever been.”

I want to go home.

“Isn’t it~?” Headmaster Crowley sang, grinning ear-to-ear, opening the door. I could feel a sneeze trying to form, building up just from the sight of how much dust and cobwebs there were. Mae actually sneezed, pawing at her nose in reaction to it, and it was really adorable- like she was some kind of kitten. “Follow me, please.”

He guided us through the dusty hallway into an even more dilapidated lounge room. Furniture- chairs, tables, even portraits- were all tipped over or out of place, and there were so many spider webs that if you wanted to you could probably use them as thread. The curtains on the windows were stiff from years of non-use, and the cushions on the loveseats and sofas had lost what was surely once a vibrant color due to years of sunlight exposure.

I repeat: this dorm was _definitely_ haunted.

Considering magic existed here, and so did cat monsters and men with pointy teeth, who’s to say that ghosts can’t exist? I swallowed down the lump in my throat, ignoring the chill going down my spine and the goosebumps that were spreading along my arms.

“Th-This place is lovely.” I squeaked, failing to keep my voice level. Headmaster Crowley chuckled.

“We definitely have our work cut out for us.” Mae said, observing the boarded up windows and half-broken chandeliers. “Good thing you’re good at cleaning.”

She flashed me a smirk, clearly trying to make a joke. Out of the two of us- when I put my mind to it- I could do a fairly decent job of making things spic-and-span. I just had to be in the right mindset and have the motivation to actually do so. She, however, was the one that was better with tools and more complicated things, such as carpentry, sewing, and even cooking.

“Staying here will at least keep you out of the rain.” Headmaster Crowley informed. “Feel free to choose any room you wish. I will be doing more research, so make yourselves at home. All I ask is that you two avoid wandering around the school.”

Oh, that’s easy. I’m an introvert by nature. Mae, on the other hand, might take that as a challenge and actually go around exploring. Seeing her about to speak up, most likely to sass the man, I quickly flashed a grin and held up two thumbs.

“Okie dokie! Got it. Thank you, sir. You… You really are the kindest.”

Headmaster Crowley chuckled. “Indeed I am~! Farewell for now.”

The man folded his arms across his chest and I recoiled, startled to see him vanish in a flash of light. The dude could freaking teleport? Um, okay. Wow. I was not expecting that. I sneezed and coughed into my arm when I turned around to get a better look at the building. The longer we remained here, the more I was starting to miss home- though whenever I tried to think back on it, the less I could actually remember about it.

“Hey, ‘Lia; I’m gonna go check out the rooms first. Wait here, okay?” I blinked, startled at the hand patting my shoulder, and looked up to see Mae smiling at me. “I’ll be right back.”

“O-Okay…”

I watched as the taller woman headed up the staircase, the dark-haired beauty grimacing at the dust on the railing when she made to put her hand on it, and I awkwardly shifted in place when she turned the corner and disappeared from view. Glancing around the area, I questioned if this place really was supposed to be habitable.

It used to be a dormitory, right? Why hasn’t the school renovated it or something to use for club meetings or even as an extra gymnasium? It didn’t make any sense.

Feeling my nose tickle, I leaned my head back- only to flinch and hunch over when I let out a rather painful, and loud, sneeze. I sniffled, making a face as I blinked a couple of times. “That hurt…”

Mmm, yeah, no; I don’t like this. This place gives me the creeps. I glanced at all the covered-up furniture and boarded windows, and then looked up at the ceiling. In the case of there being an incredibly strong storm, I had no doubt that this place would come tumbling down. Mae was good with tools, but I don’t think she was so good that she could completely patch this place up on her own.

What should I do…? How long should I keep standing here?

I guess I can try uncovering some of the furniture- maybe clean the place up a bit, but… Mae said to stay put. Wait, hold on. Oh my gods. Regardless of whether or not this was a crazily realistic dream or actually another world, with the situation as it is that means that I don’t have to attend school anymore. I didn’t have to do any more homework.

_Frick yeah!_

A large grin spread across my face as I looked up into nothing triumphantly, pumping a fist in the air, but another loud sneeze quickly ruined my excitement. “Ugh…”

The headmaster could have at least let us stay in one of the other dorms. One that was actually clean and livable. They had to have at least one empty room, right? Mae and I could share a bed no problem.

She was tall and slender, and I was short and perfect cuddle size. There was no reason why we couldn’t. But then again… it being an all-boys school might cause some problems. Crap.

I let out a sigh, slumping my shoulders and hanging my head. “There’s just no winning, is there…? For an isekai, this sucks.”

Most protagonists had super powers or an animal familiar, or even got reborn into a noble family where they would eventually grow up and take part in a magic academy. Instead we got stuck inside a dusty old building that’s bound to fall apart overnight on the campus of a magical college, but without any magical prowess of our own. It really feels like we got the short-end of the stick. Ah, but then again…

I blinked, staring at wall as I went deeper into thought. “Those flowers on her face…”

Has Mae noticed them at all yet? Maybe they were a sign or symbol of some secret hidden power we didn’t know she had yet. I hummed, tapping my finger against my cheek as I chewed on my bottom lip. Eyebrows furrowed, I tried to think of all the possible things it could mean. It also made me wonder if I had any weird markings myself.

Also, purple and blue were never her thing- yet her nails and lips were painted that color. She always preferred reds and golds. That in and of itself was super odd.

“Ah! Hold up!” I held my hands out in front of me, staring at my nails with wide eyes. “Mine are blue…”

Not as dark as I would usually paint them- in fact, they were a very light shade. My fingers themselves also looked quite pale compared to the rest of my hand, and when I pressed them to my palm I noticed that they were cold. They were cold, yet I couldn’t tell until now. I was normally pretty sensitive to temperature.

That confused me.

Did I have any facial markings, too, or…? No, that wouldn’t make sense. Mae would have commented on them. She’s far more observant than I am. What was even the meaning behind all of this? When did they change- upon our entry into this world? That alone still has several questions surrounding it.

Maybe the make-up had something to do with these ceremonial outfits, but as for the rest...

I brought my hands to my face, almost pouting as I felt the chill of my fingers press against the warmth of my cheeks. “None of this makes sense…”

“Heeey~ Iliana!” Mae shouted from the second level. “It’s safe to come up! I found some decent-sized rooms!”

Huh? Oh, right. I sighed and started to move towards the staircase, not at all excited to be living here. My face contorted into one of disgust when I saw just how dusty the railing was and grimaced, refusing to touch it despite knowing how clumsy I could be at times.

Raising my voice, I called out, “Which one are you in!?”

“Over here!” She stuck her hand out of a door, waving at me. “This one’s mine! You can take the one across from me!”

“O-Okie dokie.” I carefully made my way into the room she pointed at, and cracked open the door with a grimace. The place was such a mess. Hanging my head, I begrudgingly removed the robe and hung it on the doorknob, undoing the cloth hook around my middle finger to push up my sleeves. I stared at the bedroom, determination flashing in my eyes. “Let’s do this.”

It was time… to clean!

Dusting off the bed was annoying, but I just took a stray cloth I found laying on the ground and wrapped it around my hand, patting things down and sneezing frequently whenever my nose would start to tickle. I ran my clothed hand along the dresser and vanity, and screeched whenever spiders or roaches or any other kind of bug would show itself. When that happened I ended up smacking them hard with the cloth, doing my best not to throw up as I could _feel_ the lumps of their dead bodies beneath my hand.

Eventually Mae would let out a small shriek of her own and I would have to rush over, swatting whatever insect was disturbing her, and we would both shudder and complain about this place being infested. “These sheets are gonna need to some serious washing.” She said, holding up the old blanket on her bed with a perturbed expression.

“Is there even a washing machine here?” I asked, wondering why we didn’t think to ask about that when the headmaster was still.

Mae paused. “I… don’t know. I’ll go check. You keep cleaning up here.”

“O-Okay…”

I watched as she ran off, and then headed back to my room- returning to the vanity where I was cleaning. Running the cloth against the mirror, I blinked. Big brown irises stared back at me from the glass, outlined by long lashes and black eyeshadow. Blue lips were tilted down in a frown, and dark chocolate hair was pulled back- shaved on both sides, one more so that the other, leaving it a bit crooked, contrasting against the round face and fair skin.

This was… my reflection, wasn’t it? I raised a hand up and made to wipe the lipstick off with my sleeve, only to grow even more confused when it didn’t do so much as smudge. Licking my lips, I tried again- yet still no results. What the heck?

Did I need some special make-up remover or… was it permanent? Gods, I really don’t like this place. This is freaky.

The sound of footsteps snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned just in time to hear Mae knock on the open door. She was grinning. “Guess what? There’s plenty of washers and dryers in the basement! The electricity is somehow still working, so my guess is that it’s connected to the rest of the other dorms or even the school itself. So you know what that means?”

“We…” I furrowed my brows, tilting my head. “...can do the laundry?”

Mae laughed. “We can do the laundry!”

And that was exactly what we did- tearing apart the beds and pillows, and even the window curtains. We tossed them into the washer and set the timer, and proceeded to clean up the lounge. She turned the furniture right-side up and I got to work dusting again, squashing any critters that got in my way. It got to the point where I could actually _taste_ the bile on my tongue, having long since forgotten what number of dead insects we were on now.

Halfway through, having spent a couple of hours on this, Mae stretched and yawned- and then said she was going to swap the laundry over to the dryers. I nodded at her, flashing a small smile, before continuing to clean. Eventually it started to pour outside, and I jumped when I felt something wet drop against the top of my head.

“Ew!” What the frick? I looked up at the ceiling, trying to locate which crack it came from, only to flinch when a drop landed on my cheek. I stepped back, wiping the water away. “Of course it’s raining…”

This place was gonna fall apart sooner than later; I’m calling it now. I slumped my shoulders and let out another distressed sigh.

“This seriously sucks…”

Water was leaking from several places, creating small puddles on the floor. I was going to need several buckets to try and collect all of it, but I had no idea where to even start looking. Was there a supply closet or bathroom somewhere? I scrunched my nose up, disgusted. This place was seriously nasty.

I had just resigned myself to my fate and was about to wander around aimlessly when I heard a crash from one of the boarded up windows, followed up by a familiar screech.

 _“Kyaaah!_ It’s pouring down like crazy out there!”

I whirled around with a startled yelp, turning to look at the window the cat monster had broken in through. Grim shook off his wet fur and stood up on his hindlegs. Blinking when he saw my expression, a grin curled up on his lips and he laughed.

“You look so _stupid!_ Like a spider that got squirted with a water gun!”

“B-But, how did-” I raised a hand up and pointed, feeling my legs start to shake as I took a nervous step back towards the door. “-how did you get back in!?”

“Tch. I’m a genius, so _naturally_ I was able to sneak back into this school!” Grim crossed his furry arms over his chest, looking rather proud of himself. “If you think gettin’ thrown out is gonna make me quit on becoming a student, you’ve got another thing comin’!”

God freaking dang it.

I glanced behind me, wondering if I should call for Mae. She probably wouldn’t even hear me- already on the other side of the building downstairs checking things out. I turned back to Grim, wondering if there was some way I could talk myself out of this situation. “Why… Why do you want to be a student so badly?”

“That’s simple!” He exclaimed, placing his paws on his hips. It almost felt like he was trying to mimic human behavior. “I’m a natural born genius, destined to be a magician! I’ve been waiting forever for the ebony carriage to come pick me up, but… “

He trailed off, looking down at the floor as the light from his eyes faded, the cat monster becoming disheartened. For a second, I feared he was going to cry, my heart already starting to ache for him despite the fear he had put me through before. I wanted to hate him, I really did, but he looked so sad that it made it hard to.

Shaking his head to snap out of his thoughts, his ears twitched. Grim crossed his arms over his chest, speaking a bit more angrily this time. “The Mirror of Darkness clearly doesn’t have an eye for this sort of thing! I mean, look- it grabbed you _and_ that other human! It screwed up so many times.”

He huffed, and I made a face at the insult sent my way. Rude.

“Anyway,” Grim looked up at me, “that’s why I snuck in, y’know? The humans here just don’t understand that not letting me in would a major loss for the world.”

Uh-huh. I’m sure it would be… _not_.

I raised my eyebrows at the cat monster, not quite believing him, and when a drop of water from the leaking ceiling fell and hit his fur I snorted- watching in amusement as he let out a yell and shivered.

“B-Brrrr! That’s so cold!”

Another drop fell.

“Wh-Why does it keep leaking!? Make it stop!” Grim flattered his ears against his head, holding his paws up as if to protect them. “They’re gonna get rid of my awesome ear flames at this rate…”

I stared at him for a moment, then looked up at the ceiling. Some rain leaked through and splashed onto my shoulder, causing me to step to the side to avoid another droplet. I sent the cat monster a look. “Not to be rude, but that sounds like a _you_ problem. You could just find a better place to hide.”

“No way!” He snapped. “Do you know how long it took for me to get here? I’m staying! Besides, won’t the leaking affect you and that other weird human, too? Do something with magic to fix it!”

“Seriously?” I’m losing my patience with this creature. “I don’t have magic.”

Grim snorted. “Wow, really? Talk about useless.”

I recoiled a bit at that, but tried not to let the hurt show. His opinion shouldn’t bother me; he was just some random monster cat. Not to mention the fact that he’s already attacked me twice before. I shouldn’t have any pity, nonetheless compassion, towards him.

I glowered at him, irritation forming. “Why don’t you do it then, if you’re so great?”

“As if! I’m just a monster seeking shelter from the rain.” He stuck his tongue out at me. “If you want me to work, you better get a can of tuna ready.”

You know what? I’m done.

“I hope Mae finds you.” I stated, standing up with a roll of my eyes. “She’ll pelt you like a freaking football.”

“Eh?” He blinked, watching me head to the door with confusion on his face. “Oi, where are you goin’? What’s a football? Come back!”

I did my best to ignore him. Marching my way down the hall, I began to enter other rooms in search for a bucket, pretending that the cat monster wasn’t following me. Closing my eyes as I searched through a closet, I forced myself to calm down. He wasn’t attacking me or anything, so I shouldn’t lose my temper. I just need to concentrate on the task at hand, and find a freaking bucket.

A spider or two snuck up on me and I shrieked, stomping on them a panicked fever and backing away with a shudder. “Ew, ew, ew! Gross!”

This place was awful. It was a sheer miracle I even found a bucket ten minutes later. Grim stopped following me and made himself home on one of the black-and-white striped sofas that were in the lounge, and he watched as I set a bucket down. I let out another sneeze as the dust continued to mess with me, and then yawned. I felt so tired. A nap would be amazing right now.

“This is so lame…” Grim mumbled, tail swishing irritably behind him. “Hurry it up, human! The place is gonna flood soon!”

“Oh, shut up. No, it won’t.”

Gods, I hate him. I’m going to go find Mae. With any luck there’ll be buckets down in the basement, too. Dragging my feet to the door that led downstairs, I opened it and called out, “Yo, sis~!?”

“What is it!?” She yelled back, and I heard her footsteps nearing the staircase. A few seconds later, she was standing on the first step, hand on the railing. “Everything okay!?”

“Yeah, but…” I glanced behind me, then back down at her. “...you remember the cat monster who attacked us before?”

Her eyes narrowed and she frowned, taking another step up. “What about him?”

She was walking up the staircase now, and I stepped back to give her room to enter the hallway. Closing the door, the woman leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, suspicion written all across her face. I hesitated, fiddling with my fingers, and then pointed in the direction I left the creature. “He… might’ve snuck in to seek shelter from the rain…”

Mae raised an eyebrow.

I hurriedly waved my hands in front of me. “I-I mean, he didn’t attack or anything! We talked and he’s just lying on the sofa right now, but I thought you should know.”

“What the fuck…” She sighed, reaching up and running her fingers through her hair, brushing her bangs back. “It’d probably be best to get rid of him, but doing so might make him lash out… hmm. Maybe we can sneak over and throw him out? How’d he even get in?”

“...He… broke in through one of the windows…”

“God damn it! Ugh, fine. Here we go. Come on.” She started to stalk off towards the lounge, and I hurriedly followed her- grabbing onto her robe with my thumb and forefinger, but we barely got ten steps before there was a sudden scream. We froze, eyes wide, and Mae snapped her head up in the direction it came. “That was… him, wasn’t it? Shit!”

She broke out into a run, fingers latching around my wrist, and I yelped as we went running through the dorm. The closer we got to the lounge the colder it became, and the rain only seemed to pour down harder. When we finally arrived, we ended up stumbling to an abrupt halt, and I crashed hard into Mae’s back. The momentum almost knocked her over, but she quickly regained balance and grabbed my shoulder.

_“Ehehehe~ more guests?”_

Grim was frozen from his spot on the sofa, fur standing on end, the cat monster trembling as he looked at the things before him with wide terrified eyes. I almost didn’t believe what I was seeing, but as the things turned around to look at us I realized that they were most definitely real. They were… odd, I guess you could say, and not exactly at all like I had imagined, but they were definitely ghosts.

They almost looked like something you would see in an old cartoon.

Two were round and puffy, colored stark white, and reminded me of the pillsbury doughboy from the commercials that used to play when I was little. The third was a lot skinnier with a face more closely resembling that of an actual skull, especially with its jaw, but they all wore the exact same tophat and cape. The sclera of theirs eyes were a light blue and their irises… gods- it only made them creepier seeing that they were the exact same shade of black as the pupils.

“Wh-What…?” I found myself less scared and more confused, but my anxiety and discomfort remained. Mae wasted no time in holding her arms out protectively, keeping me behind her as she glared at the floating undead.

One of the chubbier ghosts spoke, floating a little closer. I took a step back. _“The people who used to live here got scared of us and left…”_

 _“So we’ve been looking for more ghost pals!”_ The largest one exclaimed, grinning. A chill ran down my spine and I swallowed hard, feeling myself start to panic. _“How about you guys? Wanna join our crew? Gehehehe!”_

“No thanks.” Mae stated bluntly, fixing them with a hard stare. “How about you go haunt somewhere else?”

 _“Oh, we weren’t asking.”_ The skinny one sneered. He and one of his buddies started to move towards us, the other one floating closer to the trembling cat monster. _“It’s your turn to die!”_

I let out a terrified squeak and staggered backwards, falling hard onto my rear as I tripped, and my sister panicked. When the ghosts got too close she reeled her arm back and swung, not really thinking about whether or not we could even touch something incorporeal. Judging by the shock on their faces when her fist actually made contact with the fat ghost, sending it flying back and phasing through the floor, it was probably accurate to say that we _weren’t_ supposed to be able to touch them.

At the very least, Mae wasn’t.

Oh my gods. Oh my gods, is that her isekai power!? Can she fight the undead!?

“M-Mae, h-how did you- what just- _dude!”_ I looked at her with wide eyes. “You sent him flying! How!?”

“I…” She looked just as baffled, having merely acted on instinct. Mae looked down at her first. “I just… punched him. Holy shit.”

The woman turned to look at the other ghosts, who were stunned- unable to move.

“I just punched a ghost…”

The floating undead looked at each other in confusion, and then back at Mae. _“That isn’t… possible.”_

 _“You’re human, aren’t ya?”_ The skinny ghost asked, floating a few feet away nervously. _“You shouldn’t be able touch us unless we make ourselves solid!”_

Mae thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. She decided not to question it, instead getting into a fighting stance and grinning, her eyes flashing dangerously. “Well, how about you try something again? We’ll find out together!” She popped her fingers, flexing her wrists. “Let’s dance, assholes!”

I let out a small yelp when she lunged forward, aiming a swing at the large ghost’s stomach, and the skinny ghost quickly dodged. The chubby ghost that had been sent flying underground earlier came floating back up through the floorboards, and I let out a shriek when I saw it pop out from behind the couch. “G-Grim, watch out! Behind you!”

The cat monster screamed. He jumped a solid three feet in the air and opened his mouth, sending fire sailing over the furniture. The ghost’s eyes went wide and he vanished from the flames, only to reappear shortly after. This time, he was aiming for me.

Oh, frick-!

“Nope!” I pushed myself onto all fours and scrambled away, grabbing onto the back of the sofa and forcing my body to vault over the armrest. I collapsed onto the cushions with a gasp, rolling onto the floor afterwards with a rather painful thud. “N-Not today!”

Ow, ow, ow. Gods, that hurt. I pushed myself up onto my knees, looking up in alarm to see the ghost floating above the couch now.

“The… The stars are _not_ in position for this!”

“You heard her!” Mae shouted, sending another punch towards a ghost and scowling when it missed, the undead phasing through a wall and then popping up from the floor behind her. She quickly made to stomp on its face- sending it back underground. “Stars! Can’t do it! Not today! Now leave!”

The ghosts laughed and they started to move faster, changing up their tactics and occasionally vanishing to try and ambush everyone. Mae was quick on her feet, thankfully, and at one point I even managed to panic kick one in the face from my spot on the floor when it got too close, but Grim was a shivering mess and kept firing magic blindly- almost scorching me in the process. If I hadn’t heard him scream and then rolled out of the way, I would have been roasted.

“G-G-Get back!” He cried, the fur on his tail standing up as his ears drew back when he saw that the chubby ghost had started to make its way towards him again. “I-I’m not afraid of you!”

 _“Just where are you aiming?”_ The chubby ghost taunted, snickering loudly. _“I’m over here!”_

“Sh-Shut up! I’ll kill you! Fnnnaaaagh!” He let loose another blast of flame, completely missing and accidentally setting a couple portraits on fire. “Go away! I hate you!”

I scooted farther away, not too keen on becoming a toasted piece of human flesh, and pressed myself against a wall, watching fearfully as the ghosts fixated on the two who were fighting. They were mostly toying with Mae and Grim at this point, constantly disappearing and reappearing around the woman to mess with her, and taunting the cat monster over his bad aim.

Avoiding making too much noise, I pressed a hand against my chest and watched, heart pounding in my ears.

“Wh-Why do I keep missing!?” Grim wailed, tears burning his eyes. “Just die already!”

I squinted, noticing something. His eyes- they were closed! That explained so much. Okay, I think I got this. Maybe. Possibly. I don’t know, honestly, but I’m hoping this works. Eyebrows raised, I forced myself to stand, leaning against the wall for support. “To the right, Grim! The right!”

He let out a panicked burst of flame to his left. I groaned. The ghosts laughed.

“Oh my gods- I said to the _right,_ you dumb child!”

“I don’t take orders from you! And don’t call me a dumb child- I’m a genius!”

We’re about to die and he’s still being a freaking brat. Ugh, I wanna smack him. The flames were starting to spread along the floor and walls, and I knew that if it kept up the entire dorm was going to be set aflame. “Y-You’re gonna… You’re gonna burn down the building!”

“I said to shut up!” He yelled, blue flames rising higher. I flinched when some got a bit too close for my liking, able to feel their heat from just three feet away. Mae yelped and jumped away, glaring at the monster before swinging at another ghost. “Damn it~! You’re a bunch of cowards for ganging up on us!”

“Above you!” I found myself continuing to shout, tears stinging my eyes from the fear and the heat. “Behind you! To the left!”

“Fuunnaaaagh!”

He finally did as told. The cat monster raised his paws up in the air and, instead of breathing it out this time, he seemed to create the blast from thin air, the flames shooting out and smacking the chubby ghost hard in the front- causing it to burst, surprise written all over his face as he vanished. Grim’s eyes snapped open, the cat monster alarmed. He had felt it connect.

“I… I hit one?”

My shoulders slumped in relief, my legs close to giving out on me. “Thank goodness…” That had been terrifying. I thought he was going to be killed by the ghosts, and me and my sister by his poor aim.

A toothy grin spread across Grim’s face, the cat monster standing up and jumping off the sofa. He stood on his hind paws, placing his front ones on his hips. “Alright, tiny human! For now, we’re making a truce! Tell me where to shoot so we can chase these jerks outta here!” He closed his eyes again, unable to make himself look at the ghosts.

Oh gods. I take it back. We might actually die. “Uh, s-sure, I guess.”

The next few minutes consisted of me shouting orders to Grim, awkwardly stammering where each of the ghosts were hiding, while Mae punched any ghosts that tried to come near me. Grim must have really studied up on human behavior and objects, because otherwise I don’t think he would have understood half of what I was saying. Before long a rhythmic pattern began to form, and it almost started to feel like I was saying things to a certain beat.

Flames were dancing all over, and Mae was starting to look exhausted. After enough time she was able to run over and stand next to me, letting Grim take care of the remaining work. Sweated beaded down the sides of my face, the heat almost suffocating as it filled up the worn-down building.

Ah, wait… what are the ghosts doing? Are they retreating? Okay. Cool.

That’s… That’s very good. That means we’re safe now.

Everything is okay.

I slumped down and hit the floor, absolutely exhausted, and Mae ran her fingers gently against my back. We watched as Grim muttered to himself and cheered, but the building itself was still on fire. Mae cursed under her breath and stood, and was just about to run off to go and find a way to stop the flames when there was a knock on the front door.

“Good evening, Belladonna sisters~!” Headmaster Crowley sang as he entered the room, floating two trays of food above him. “The wonderfully kind me has brought you all dinner-eh? Ehhh!? Wh-Why is the dorm on fire!? What happened!?”

He quickly snapped the fingers on one hand to make the flames disappear. All that remained were scorch marks. His golden eyes then went wide, only to narrow quickly in anger when he saw Grim dancing. “Victory is mine! Nyahaha!”

“Why you~!” Headmaster Crowley transferred the food onto the dining table and marched towards him, reaching for the whip attached to his belt. “Didn’t I throw you out earlier? How dare you return to this school’s campus!”

Grim scoffed, folding his arms and grinning cheekily at the adult. “I’ll have you know that I just got rid of your little ghost problem! You should be bowing with gratitude!”

“Ghost problem…?” The man echoed, coming to a halt a few feet away from the monster. He frowned, lowering his “lash of love” and frowning, staring him down after taking a quick glance at us from over his shoulder. “What do you mean by that?”

It was a chaotic mess trying to explain what happened.

There was Grim, who kept overplaying his efforts and insulting me for not really doing anything during the battle, and then there was Mae, who mentioned how she able to actually hit the ghosts. I even tried to help explain, to inform how I had been telling Grim where to shoot his fire and how I kicked one of the undead in the face, but I kept getting interrupted and just went quiet. Sometime in the middle of this Headmaster Crowley came over and checked to ensure that we had no injuries.

He let out a sigh. “Thank goodness neither of you were hurt. But…”

He brought a clawed hand up to his chin, glowing eyes flashing in thought.

“I think I recall there being some students talking about prankster ghosts. Most of them avoid this place because of those rumors. It’s a huge part as to why this dormitory is now unused. Still, for you two to work together… hmmm.”

Grim scowled at the headmaster. “I’m not gonna overlook that “together” comment! The tiny human barely even did anything! She just hid in the corner and cried while the battle took place! I should get a can of tuna for all the effort I put in!”

Headmaster Crowley stared at him and then at me, eyes narrowing, and he folded his arms over his chest. “...Do it again.”

“H-Hah?”

“I’d like to see the way you two fought together. Afterwards, if that’s alright with you, Miss Belladonna,” He looked at my sister, “I would like to see you demonstrate the way you hit the ghosts. It isn’t normal for a human to be able to touch the undead, especially if they haven’t made themselves solid, so I’m most curious about this ability you and your sister apparently have.”

“But they’re… already gone…?” I was so confused.

Grim glared at the headmaster. “Before we do _anything_ , I-want-tuna! At least reward me if you’re going to make me do anything else! That’s common courtesy, y’know!”

Headmaster Crowley unfolded his arms, completely serious. It was little unnerving seeing him like this. In the short time I knew him I had grown used to his smile. “I shall be the ghost. If you defeat me, then I will give you several tuna cans.”

Oh, there it was. I found myself relaxing, seeing that self-gratifying grin on his face.

“For I am very kind~! Here we go, transformation potion!”

I watched with wide eyes as he pulled a small bottle out of his coat pocket, unscrewing the cork and raising the bottle up to his lips. Mae looked surprised, but then that familiar curiosity shown in her eyes. I had no doubt that she would go out of her way later to figure out how to make it, or at least try making potions of her own. She was just that curious type of person.

The headmaster gulped the liquid down without hesitation, smiling all the while, and he let out a small gasp as he pulled it away. There was a flash of light and then, without any warning, he transformed into a slightly chubby ghost. The only difference he had from the others was that he was still wearing the weird crow mask and top hat.

“Wh-Whoa…”

Mae blinked. “Holy shit.”

Grim seemed unimpressed by the transformation, even though the sight of Headmaster Crowley as a ghost clearly disturbed him. “I really don’t wanna do this… especially if I had have to team up with her again…”

Mae started to stand, and I hurriedly followed suit- clinging to her arm all the while. I looked at Grim, too tired to argue with anyone or even to try to go against the headmaster. He had already transformed, anyway, so we might as well just go along with it.

“D-Don’t… you want that tuna?” I asked.

The cat monster hesitated, then grimaced and glared at the adult. “This is the last time!” He declared angrily, pointing a paw at him. “I won’t forgive you if you forget to give me my tuna! Got it!?”

Oh, wow, that actually worked. Huh. He’s easier to convince than I thought. Shaking my head and trying to fight off the remaining jitters, I forced myself to breathe and calm down. Everything was fine. It was just the headmaster, so no harm can actually be done to us. Besides, if the building catches fire again he can clearly use magic to get rid of it.

“Please, do feel free to attack.” He told Grim, floating around the room with a grin. Seeing him act like that only freaked Grim out more, the cat monster flinching away and taking a step back. “You’ll be fine. I am _very_ kind, after all, so don’t worry about me being rough. I will be as gentle as possible, so go all out.”

Grim inhaled shakily. Moving to stand in the middle of the lounge, he squeezed his eyes shut. “I-I have… no other choice. If I do this, I’ll be able to get tuna later, so… tiny human! Hurry up with the instructions!”

I made a face. “I have a name.”

“Whatever!”

Headmaster Crowley appeared in the air above us, chuckling. “Shall we begin?”

This battle wasn’t as stressful as the one with the other ghosts, though I suppose that was because the one we were fighting now wasn’t actually real. It was just the headmaster pretending to be one. He let out an “ow” here and there whenever Grim hit him, and constantly disappeared and reappeared to try and mix things up.

After a while he started to move faster, making things more complicated, and even began zipping around the room to mess with us. Jerk. Was he testing me? Grim? The both of us?

I huffed, getting a bit annoyed, and I shouted out a few more orders, becoming more confident the more time passed. I was starting to figure out a pattern between all the headmaster’s movements, and then just to act like even more of a bully he duplicated himself with magic, creating several clones.

What. The. Frick.

Mae wound up joining in at some point, swinging her fists at the headmaster and startling him when she managed to land some hits, causing him to phase through the floor and the walls and even some of the furniture, and she kicked at a couple clones that tried to sneak up on her. She was breathing heavily, exhausted from all the exercise we’ve been put through today, but she kept going. Mae was strong and stubborn.

Eventually I had Grim spin in a circle, blowing fire out of his mouth and getting rid of the ghosts all at once after Mae jumped out of the danger zone. The headmaster blinked after he had recovered, surprised. “You three actually did it...”

Grim wheezed, slumping over from exhaustion. “I-I managed… to get them all. Phew… man, can’t you be more gentle!? That was way too rough!”

He shook his fur out. The cat monster looked up, a grin spreading across his face.

“A-Anyway, I did great, didn’t I? I deserve all the tuna for working so well with the tiny human!”

The headmaster looked… really stunned for some reason.

“I can’t believe... that there’s actually a human who can command and tame monsters, nonetheless one who can touch the undead...”

What?

Headmaster Crowley frowned, transformation wearing off, the man humming in thought as he crossed an arm over his chest, propping up his elbow with his hand and cupping his chin. “Actually, back at the entrance ceremony… my teacher-senses were telling me that the little one might have talent as an animal or beast tamer. I’m not so sure about what’s going on with the older one or the strange ability both of them have to interact with the undead, but… no matter how…”

Mae and I were completely dumbfounded, standing there listening to him mumble away. We shared a look, greatly confused, and turned back to him. Grim was just as lost.

Wait, hold on. I just realized- even though the ghosts are gone now, they might come back. If the headmaster throws Grim out, Mae and I might be in serious trouble. I don’t know how to fight, so I would only end up getting in the way. I would get us both killed. Getting him to stay might even help prevent him from attacking me again, so maybe… yeah.

I’ll try it. The headmaster likes to brag about how “kind” he is, so maybe if I ask nicely it’ll work.

“U-Um, excuse me, sir?”

Headmaster Crowley paused upon hearing my voice, turning to see me awkwardly raising a hand. Still clinging to Mae, I pointed at the cat monster. “S-Sorry if it’s… too much trouble o-or if it goes against any of the rules, but can… can Grim stay here with us? Please?”

The cat monster looked at me, eyes wide with disbelief. Mae even looked a little surprised.

“He really wants to be a student a-and…”

“Absolutely not.” The man didn’t hesitate at all to decline my suggestion. “He is a monster! They’re forbidden from being on school grounds!”

I faltered, lowering my head and worrying on my bottom lip, the fear of getting yelled at settling in. “B-But… the ghosts might come back. I-I can touch them, but I don’t know how to fight. It… It isn’t like I can use magic either. Mae might… be overwhelmed if she tries to deal with the ghosts alone, a-and if I get in the way… then…”

The headmaster stared at me for a long moment. He then lowered his head, giving in to defeat with a sigh. “Very well… I suppose it can’t be helped when you put it like that. I guess he can stay.”

Seeing the cat monster’s face light up, he quickly added,

“However! I absolutely cannot allow someone, nonetheless a monster like him, into this school when he was not even chosen by the Mirror of Darkness. I can’t have either of you girls remaining as freeloaders either.”

Mae placed a hand on her hip, tilting her head. “That’s fair. Besides, it wouldn’t feel right to just stay here without doing anything to earn it.”

Grim scowled, heavily disappointed that his dream wasn’t going to come true. “Talk about a short-lived joy…”

Headmaster Crowley flashed Grim a look. “Be patient and wait. I wasn’t finished yet.”

I furrowed my brows, looking up at the headmaster, a little worried. “What… do you want us to do?”

Turning back to us, the man started to speak again. “Concerning the fact that you were both called here by accident and with no way to return home, the school has to take responsibility as the owner of the mirror. I believe I mentioned this before, yes? You can live in the dormitory for free, of course, and eat at the school cafeteria, but any other necessities must be provided by yourself. Seeing as neither of you have anything to your name… hmmm.”

He walked forward, causing me to tense as he stopped in front us. Headmaster Crowley placed his hands on his hips, thinking deeply.

“What exactly should I make you do?” He inquired. “What are your talents?”

“Our… talents?” I blinked. Gods, I hated being put on the spot. “Um… M-Mae and I are both good at art…”

Mae placed a hand over the ones I had latched around her arm, giving me a light squeeze to try and comfort me. “She’s good at cleaning and keeping things tidy, and I can cook. I’m also good with tools, and the both of us are pretty skilled at dealing with people. I mean, she’s really bubbly by nature and even more friendly once she gets comfortable around you, and I’m used to handling strangers.”

The last part she said with a shrug, turning a bit to stand more protectively in front of me.

Headmaster Crowley thought for another moment, a grin curling onto his face. He stood up straight and snapped his fingers, stepping back and holding his arms out in the air dramatically. “That’s it! I figured it out! Here’s my proposition, Belladonna sisters! Miss Iliana, Miss Mae, if you two are so willing- how about doing odd jobs around the campus? Such as sweeping the streets and polishing the statues, and even the occasional repair job?”

“I suppose that works…” Mae mumbled, biting her lip. She nodded. “Alright. Sounds good to me.”

“M-Me, too.” I stammered.

“Oi,” Grim growled, glaring at us, “where’s my say in this?”

Headmaster Crowley ignored him, clapping his hands together and smiling widely. “Then you three shall become the school’s side janitors and handymen! This way you’ll have special permission to be on school grounds and no one can force me to kick you out onto the streets.”

Oh. Yeah, that’d be nice. I quite like having a roof over my head, gross as this current one was.

“You’ll also be able to research ways to get home in the library, or just study and read whatever you want after your work is done.” He placed a hand to his cheek, beaming at himself and giggling. “Aha~ again, my kindness astounds even me!”

“Whaaat?” Grim was very displeased. “Seriously? I am _not_ okay with this!”

“I-I am!” I hurriedly said, flashing an awkward grin. “I am a hundred percent okay with this. So is Mae. Right, Mae?”

She shrugged. “I mean, it’s something to do. At least we don’t have to pay rent.”

“Will you humans shut up!?” Grim hissed. “I don’t want to work- I want to wear the fancy uniform and go to the school!”

Headmaster Crowley flashed him a sickeningly sweet smile, lowering his hand and resting it on the whip that was attached to his hip. “Oh, its fine if you don’t want to, little monster. I can simply toss you out again. I’m only doing this for these two adorable sisters, after all.”

Grim jumped, holding his paws up in alarm. “I-I’m good, I’m good! I’ll do it! That’s all it is, right? Just… cleaning the streets?”

“And watering the plants, and polishing the statues, and washing the windows, and whatever else comes to my mind that needs to be cleaned or done.” Headmaster Crowley listed off, holding up a finger with each subject that was added on. “If the older one is good with plumbing or anything of the sort, she can fix leaks or even repair any desks or chairs that break!”

I’ve never had a job before… oh, this is gonna be weird. I really hope I don’t screw this up.

The headmaster grinned at us. “It’s decided then. From tomorrow henceforth, you both should endeavor to become the best side janitors and handymen you can be at Night Raven College! You will be paid of course, seeing as this is to be an official job… and so you can afford any necessities that you may require. I shall come collect you tomorrow to instruct you on what to do. Good night!”

He clapped his hands and vanished in a flash of light. I furrowed my brows, startled and very confused. “G-Good night…?”

Mae shook her head, eyebrows raised. “I’m pretty sure he’s got a screw or two loose in that brain of his…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwahaha! Mae's out here giving punches and taking control, and Iliana is awkwardly taming Grim. XD  
> Two more chapters until the first death, maybe? Two or three, anyway.
> 
> Thoughts? :3


	4. Day Two

Going to bed was rather simple, I guess, but only after we ate the dinner the headmaster brought for us and after we had located the bathroom. Turns out there had been tons of unopened toothbrushes and toothpaste, so we were able to use those. We also tried to wash the make-up off our faces, but soon discovered that while the black eyeshadow came off… what lied underneath remained. We were stuck with blue lips and violet make-up around our eyelids, hers just a shade lighter and more on the purple side than mine.

“What the fuck?” I had heard her ask, scrubbing furiously to try and get it off. “I hate this color! Why purple? At least make it red, damn it…”

Afterwards, seeing as the laundry was done and we didn’t have anything else to wear, we made our beds and fixed the curtains, and passed out. Grim curled around my feet somewhere in the middle of the night, though when I woke up and saw him there I was greatly startled.

I had been wholly expecting to wake up back home, so I was… really surprised and a bit disappointed.

Did that mean this really was another world? Mae and I really had been isekai’d?

I sighed and fell back onto the bed, closing my eyes. How lame. This was the worst isekai ever. Turning my head, I was about to roll onto my side when the room suddenly dropped several degrees in temperature, and I shivered- slowly looking up to see a round face in my vision. I screeched, kicking at the air, and rolled off the bed with a loud _thud._ The chubby ghost started laughing.

 _“Don’t you have to be up for work?”_ The skinny ghost asked with a chuckle, grinning at us.

I sat up, scooting against the wall, staring up at them in horror. “H-How do you know about that!? No, wait, how are you guys here!? Didn’t you leave!?”

Grim scowled, groggily blinking his eyes open as the commotion woke him up.

 _“Laze about too long and you’ll never wake up again!”_ The chubby ghost warned, poking the cat monster in the side.

The fat ghost laughed. _“Just like us! Ehehehe!”_

Grim screeched, eyes shooting wide open, the cat monster leaping off the bed in fright. Mae wasted no time in barging in, almost kicking the door down in her panic. “Ilia! Iliana, what’s wrong- _oh, fuck._ ” She looked at the ghosts in alarm. The skinny ghost quickly held his hands up, floating away from us.

_“Easy, easy! We’re not gonna hurt you all anymore!”_

“Why’s that?” My older sister demanded. I awkwardly sat up, glancing back-and-forth between them as they spoke. Grim curled up near my leg, claws digging into my clothes. “Don’t tell me you suddenly became “nice” ghosts!”

 _“It was just a prank.”_ The fat one explained, floating over to rest beside his skinny friend. _“We weren’t actually gonna kill ya.”_

The chubby ghost nodded. _“Yeah! If you’re gonna live here, you should expect to be pranked!_

Grim cursed under his breath, standing up and glaring at the undead trio. His tail lashed angrily behind him, fury in his blue eyes. “Urgh… we’ll get rid of you eventually! Just you wait!”

The ghosts merely laughed at his threat, disappearing into the walls and the floorboards. I scrunched my nose up at them, disturbed and a little concerned for our lives. Living here definitely wasn’t going to be easy, and I mean that in a way that went _far_ past dealing with bugs and dust. Mae, seeing we were safe- for now, let out a sigh and slumped her shoulders.

“Holy hell…”

Seeing me still crouched in the corner, she started to make her way over- kneeling in front of me. 

“Hey, you okay?”

“Uh…” I nodded, glancing at the floor one last time and then turning back to her. “Y-Yeah, I think so. I just… fell of the bed.”

“I’m the Great Grim!” The cat monster exclaimed, puffing out his chest and placing his paws on his hips. “Of course I’m okay!”

Mae scowled at him. “I wasn’t talking to _you_. Here, stand up.” She held out her hand and I took it, letting her help pull me up. She grabbed onto my arms to steady me, and then smiled. “Ready to start the day?”

“...Not really, but I guess…”

She stared down at me for a moment. “...H-Have you… Have you noticed anything weird? Make-up aside, do you… have any flowers?”

Flowers? Oh, she means the markings on her face. I worried my bottom lip, staring down at my eyes uncertainly. “Um, I haven’t really looked…”

Mae stepped back, folding her arms across her chest with furrowed brows. “They’re all over my wrists and even part of my stomach…”

Telling Grim to head downstairs, the cat monster grumbling to himself as he did so, I started to undo the very many buttons on the ceremonial uniform. To my surprise, and Mae’s shock, my entire _torso_ was covered in discolored lilies. They started from the bottom of my rib cage and wrapped all the way up to where my lungs should be, resting atop what almost looked like claws.

“Wh-What the…”

“They’re all over you…” She commented, squinting as she looked at them. I shifted my feet, a bit uncomfortable standing there half-naked, regardless of the fact that I still had a sports bra and pants on. “The hell do they mean, though? Mine are in different places, but yours is just one big tapestry.”

Mae circled around me, surprised to find that there weren’t any on my back.

“Weird…” She shook her head. “Okay, you can put your shirt back on. Sorry. I was just curious.”

I carefully buttoned the top back up, shrugging. “You’re fine. I was actually wondering if I had any myself, so… it works. Sorry for... scaring you earlier- you know, with the ghosts?”

“It’s all good. Now come on, we need to get ready.” Mae pat my shoulder and I followed her out of the room, where we headed to the bathroom and proceeded to brush our teeth and wash our faces, and overall just prepare ourselves for this new day.

I brushed my hair back and tied it up, showing off the shaved sides of my head, and nodded. That’s as decent as I’m ever going to look. Gods, this permanent make-up is so weird. I’m not sure I like it. Blue was one of my favorite colors, but there was something eerie about it this time. The nail polish wouldn’t even scratch off.

I wondered how badly we were going to end up standing out…

Make-up aside, we were still wearing the ceremonial uniforms. It wasn’t as though we had anything else, but… still. I really hoped no one would be rude about it.

Folding my arms over my chest, I headed down to the lounge to wait for Mae. She had just started to make her way down the stairs when there was a knock on the front door, the headmaster welcoming himself in without so much as waiting for a response.

“Good morning~!” He greeted cheerfully. “Did you all sleep well?”

“Well,” Grim began, scowling, “I was all spread out and comfy on one of the sofas, but then the bottom gave out and I fell! So I had to sleep in the tiny human’s bed. How did you let this place get so ramshackled? The ghosts even woke us up! It was the worst morning ever!”

For him, anyway. At least he was used to being in this world.

Mae walked over and sat down beside me, scooting the cat monster over with a grimace. She really didn't like him. “I slept decently, I guess.”

Headmaster Crowley looked at me, awaiting an answer. I gave a stiff shrug. “Slept like the dead.” Mae made a face, and I looked around expectantly, grinning a little. “Y-You know? Because… Because of the ghosts? Since they’re dead? Well, undead, actually. No? Okay.”

I cleared my throat, looking down at my lap and fiddling with my fingers.

“I-I think it’s funny…”

“I’m glad to see that even though you just got tossed into another world, you can still make jokes!” The headmaster exclaimed, grinning. It was then I noticed the two trays he had floating in the air above him, as well as the two cans of tuna. “Wonderful! Anyway, I came to speak with you three about today, and since I am so amazingly kind I even brought breakfast!”

The trays of food and the cans of tuna floated down onto the dining table in front of the sofas, and the headmaster carefully sat down. He crossed one leg over the other, cape draped to the side. He grinned, giggling to himself.

“Aren’t I just the most gracious headmaster ever? Yes. Yes, I am! Truly~!”

Mae reached out and picked up the buttered roll that sat on a tray, and I awkwardly reached over to pick up the tray in front of me, setting it on my lap. “Th-Thank you for the food.” I stammered, picking up a slice of bacon and biting into it. I hummed, eyes closing happily as I leaned left-and-right.

“Thanks.” Mae said, tearing off a piece of her roll and chewing.

Grim hopped onto the table and glared at the headmaster, unimpressed with his portions. “Only two? I did all that work yesterday! I deserve more! Gimme more!”

“I _could_ just take them back…” Headmaster Crowley said, smiling sweetly at the cat monster. “...but that wouldn’t be very _kind_ of me, now would it? So, what do you say?”

Grim faltered. He hurriedly turned to the tuna cans, ducking his head and starting to eat. “It’s mine! No take-backs!”

The headmaster chuckled, hand curled around his chin. “That’s what I thought. Fufufu… ah, right, back to the task at hand.”

He turned to face me and my sister.

“Your work for today is to clean the campus. Unfortunately, the campus is quite large and impossible to clean without the use of magic, so _you-_ ” I blinked, seeing him point at me and then the cat monster greedily eating his tuna. “-and _you_ are simply going to be sweeping Main Street clean of leaves and any such debris, starting from the main gate and all the way up to the library. That leaves your older sister to clean up the path starting from the school store, just outside of Main Street, to the botanical garden. Does that sound like a plan?”

Mae and I looked at each other, and the nodded. I grinned at the headmaster, giving him an awkward thumbs up. “Y-Yeah, sounds good.”

“It’s do-able.”

Headmaster Crowley clapped his hands together, pleased. “Wonderful! Also, to the little Belladonna sister; _please_ keep an eye on Grim so he doesn’t cause anymore trouble.”

He fixed me with a stern look and I tensed, suddenly very uncomfortable.

“I would rather not have to deal with a scene like the one from yesterday.”

“Y-Yes… sir…”

The man smiled again, all lingering threats and sense of danger gone. “Perfect! I’ll be counting on you~! Ah, that’s right; I did mention that you all have permission to enter the cafeteria, right? You’ll be able to join the students for breakfast and lunch.” He started to stand, heading towards the door and waving at us. “Have fun~ I look forward to seeing how enthusiastic you are with your work!”

With that he walked off towards the door, disappearing in another flash of light- taking the empty trays of food and tuna cans with him. While that happened, three pairs of broomsticks appeared on the ground, one smaller than the rest to accommodate the cat monster’s small size. Grim scoffed, folding his arms over his chest.

“As if I’m doing _any_ cleaning.” He said. “I want to go to class and use a bunch of awesome spells that go _boom_ and _bang bang!_ Not this lame work…”

I looked down at Grim, a feeling of dread starting to settle in my stomach. “If you do the work, we’ll get done faster. If it’s done faster we can head to the library and study spells… right, Mae?” I turned to my sister, who seemed deep in thought.

She snapped out of it and blinked, staring at me. “Uh, yes. Absolutely. Hundred percent.”

I frowned. “Are… Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She reached over and ruffled my hair, but I wasn’t too convinced. “I was just thinking. I don’t think we have a very big chance of finding a way home in the library, but I am curious about the potions.”

Ah, knew it. I totally saw this coming.

“I might check out some books on them later after I’m done cleaning.”

I looked down, nibbling my bottom lip. “I don’t think I’ll understand anything the books say… so I might just come back here and clean up some more. Is that okay?”

“Of course! I’ll see you when I get back.” She reached over and grabbed my shoulder, planting a short kiss on my forehead, and then stood. Mae walked to the brooms and picked one up, grinning. “Let’s do this! How big can the streets be, anyway?”

I snorted, standing up and picking a broom for myself. “Let’s not test that. Grim, let’s go. The faster we get this done, the faster _you_ can join Mae in the library to learn some of those “awesome” spells.”

He hissed and jumped off the couch, wandering over and angrily picking up the tiny broom. “I can barely even hold this! It’d be so much easier to just use my tail…”

“I believe in you!” I exclaimed, dramatically pumping a fist in the air and beaming down at him. He glared.

Mae eyed us as we left the dorm, wondering if it was alright to actually leave us alone together. “You sure you can handle him, ‘Lia?”

I raised my eyebrows and sighed dramatically, hanging my head. “Honestly, not really. But I don’t have much of a choice.”

Eventually we reached the botanical garden, as it was apparently closer to the dorm than it was the school, so we went out separate ways. Reaching the library, Grim and I got to work- though the majority of it getting cleaned was because of me as _someone_ didn’t like his new job. I hummed as we worked, trying to get more into the mood of things, and at some point the cat monster told me to be quiet.

I simply ignored him, as well as the urge to smack at all the students who littered on the path as they walked on by to head to their classes. A few of them pointed and sneered, while others laughed and pointedly threw things in our direction to make our work even harder. I had to hold Grim back from going after them, actually catching him in my arms and holding him to my chest when he jumped up to attack.

“Down!” I shouted, flinching when I felt his claws rake into my hands. “Stop it!”

“Fnaaagh! I hate them! Jerks- how about _they_ clean this mess up!?”

“I said _calm_ it!”

Grim didn’t relax until the student was out of sight. Around fifteen minutes later, due to all the jerks who had thrown stuff on the ground, it took a bit longer than it should have to even reach the statues. It might have gone by even faster if a certain cat monster would stop complaining every three minutes about how crappy this job was. He was seriously starting to get on my nerves.

But speaking of the statues…

My eyes went wide as I looked up at them, stunned. “They’re freaking huge!”

“I didn’t get a good look when I snuck in before, but… they’re pretty scary looking.” Grim commented, equally surprised. “One, two, three… ah! There’s seven of them!”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “Why _seven_ …? Six or eight would have been better.”

They would have been even, then. It bothered me a little that the number of statues were odd, as that left one standing by itself on the end. I stepped forward, curiosity driving me to look at the works of art, momentarily abandoning my work. Squinting, I read the nameplates at the bottom.

“This says…” I looked up at the large woman before us. She was a big lady, with hair slicked up and a dress that seemed to blend in with her octopus legs. She held some kind of contract in her hands, a wide grin on her face. I knew right away that I didn’t want to get on her bad side. She seemed sort of suspicious, honestly. I wouldn’t trust her. “The Sea Witch?”

“Look at this granny!” Grim exclaimed, catching my attention. I blinked and turned around, alarmed to see a very intimidating woman smiling haughtily down at us. “She looks especially snobby.”

“Oh my gods, yeah.” I scrunched my nose up, unimpressed.

She was also rather thick, but unlike the other one this lady was far less pretty. She had a big nose and a pair of lips that curled up haughtily, her black hair pulled back into a bun and topped with a crown. She wore a rather fancy dress, one that I could only assume would be different colors based on the design and making of the statue. I didn’t like her.

“Who is she?” Grim asked. I knelt down to get a look at the nameplate, but before I could read it off, someone beat me to it.

“You don’t know?”

I whirled my head around in alarm, startled, and was surprised to see a boy grinning down at me. He looked about my age, and had messy orange hair and red eyes, and painted over his left eye was a small heart. If I wasn’t so used to the weirdness of this place already I probably would have questioned his eye color.

The boy gestured dramatically to the statue in front of us. “This woman right here is the Queen of Hearts! She used to live in a rose maze, and she valued rules and discipline over all else. The Queen of Hearts was strict in all things- from the way the card soldiers marched to the color of the rose bushes! It was a land of madness where everyone submitted to her rule!”

“O-Oh…” That was mildly terrifying. I started to stand up, confusion etching across my face. “What happened if you didn’t follow the rules?”

The ginger smirked, running a thumb across his neck. “It’d be _off_ with your head!”

My hand shot up to my throat, eyes wide as I tried not to imagine how awful that must feel. “S-So… she was a tyrant, basically?”

“That’s awful!” Grim exclaimed, horrified.

“I like it.” The boy grinned. “I mean, no one will listen to someone who is nice all the time, right? They’d be a total pushover.”

“That’s true…” Grim responded, uncertain. “A strong leader is better.”

I’m not so sure about that. I still don’t like her.

“By the way,” Grim began, looking at the ginger curiously, “who are you?”

“I’m Ace!” The ginger smiled brightly. “A fresh-faced first year! It’s nice to meet’cha.”

Grim placed his hands on his hips, a smirk spreading across his lips. “I’m the genius who will become the greatest magician ever! You can call me the Great Grim! And this weakling over here is- uh, what was your name? Iliana? She’s my henchman.”

I made a face. “I’m not your henchman. Also, you attacked me _twice_ and still forgot my name? Rude.”

Ace looked at me. “So, wait, is that your name? It’s… kinda odd.”

“Gee, thanks. Nice to meet you, too.”

He laughed, waving a hand at me. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! It’s actually really pretty-sounding. _Iliana._ It’s nice to meet you.”

I stared for a moment before slowly relaxing, awkwardly holding my hand out with a small smile. He took it in a handshake. “Nice to meet you, too.” I repeated, though this time a bit more genuine.

“Anyway, what’s the deal with all these statues?” Grim asked, looking around. “Who are they?”

Ace walked over, gesturing to the lion statue. “This is the King of Beasts! He ruled over the Savannah. And although he wasn’t born the first son and therefore was unable to actually become king, he obtained the throne through hard effort and elaborate planning. After he became king, he even allowed the hated hyenas to live in his kingdom- tearing away the discrimination that followed behind them.”

“Ooooh!” Grim’s eyes went wide. “That’s incredible! He was someone who never let himself be held captive by his status…”

He seemed pretty shady, too. I don’t know. I feel like there was more to these tales that weren’t being told. Deciding not to ruin anyone’s fun, I held my tongue- watching quietly as Ace continued to walk around and explain the statues to us.

“This mermaid here is known as The Sea Witch!” The ginger said, pointing at the octopus woman from before. “She lives in a dark cavern under the sea. Her purpose was to help unfortunate merfolk with their dreams and wishes, and as long as you paid the appropriate price she could help you do anything. Whether it be transforming your body, finding true love, or even getting rid of a rival! If it was within her power there was nothing she couldn’t do. Although… there are stories of her prices being ridiculously high. She once took the voice of a mermaid princess to help her find her true love on land.”

Grim laughed loudly. “So what you’re saying is that if I become a great magician, I can get rich real easy!?”

“I don’t think that’s how it works.” I deadpanned, looking down at him. I looked up at the statue and then at Ace. “What happens if you didn’t pay the price?

He grinned at me. “The Sea Witch was an incredibly generous person, but if you tried to skip up on the payment? Oho, she’d turn nasty real quick! No one can back out of a deal with her unless they want to be turned into shrimp! Or algae! Or something worse.”

How lovely. Not.

“And this man over here-” Ace continued, walking over to the next statue. “-is the Sorcerer of the Sand! Look at how cool he is! He was the cunning vizier to a foolish sultan, and was the only person to see through a peasant’s disguise! They were trying to pretend to be a prince, you see? They wanted to win the heart of the sultan’s daughter and deceived everyone in order to do so. But then the Sorceror of the Sand got his hands on a magic lamp and became the most powerful mage of all, and through that power he was able to make himself sultan!”

“I see, I see…” Grim said, intaking all this information with a huge grin. “So it’s very important for a magician to be the center of attention!”

“Again, I’m not so sure that’s the case.”

He ignored me. He dashed over to a very pretty woman. She was dressed in robes, hair hidden from the eye, with an apple in hand. It appeared to be covered in some sort of poison. “What about this one?”

“This is the Beautiful Queen! Every day she used the magic mirror in her castle to check who was the most fairest in the land. Whenever it looked like she might lose her place as the most beautiful, she did everything she could to maintain it. Her determination to remain the most beautiful is actually really freaking amazing.” He knelt down, raising a finger up to his lips as he spoke, almost whispering in a conspiratorial fashion. “They even say she was adept at making poisons~!”

Grim choked. “She’s pretty, but no thanks.”

“You think?” Ace asked, surprised. “I think it’s pretty awesome- having something you’d never give up…”

“S-Sure. That… single-minded drive is pretty… cool, I guess.”

I tucked the broom to my side, unimpressed. “I still don’t trust them.”

“Bah!” Ace stuck his tongue out at me. “Give it time. You’ll understand their greatness soon enough. Like, over here! This guy that looks like he’s on fire? He’s the one and only _Lord of the Dead!_ King of the Underworld! Without anyone ever offering a hand, he rules over a land full of wandering souls and evil spirits. There’s no doubt he’s powerful. Even though he looks scary, he works such a detestable job without ever being able to take a vacation. His sincerity and dedication managed to win over and convince several incredible beasts to fight for him! The hydra, the titans… even a three-headed hellhound named Cerberus!”

“...Okay, this one’s actually really cool.” I made myself admit.

Grim thought for a moment. “So being powerful doesn’t mean you get to be arrogant…?”

I stared at the statue, observing his face and squinting. “I feel like he was totally arrogant though. Still cool, but definitely arrogant.”

“Aw, what would you know?” Ace waved me off. I frowned, a bit disheartened at my opinion being brushed away like that. “Anyway, we’ve got one more person to go through! Behold, the Witch of Thorns!”

He walked us over to the last statue. This one was a very majestic woman, with a long dress with torn hems, and horns protruding upwards from the top of her head. A long scepter was held in her hands, and at her feet were… thorns? I guess that’s where she got the name from.

“She lived on the Magic Mountains. Even though the Great Seven are all powerful and intelligent, this person was the most skilled in magic and curses! She’s noble and elegant, and doesn’t forgive anyone who crosses her. She can summon lightning storms, cover an entire country in thorns, and even place people into ageless sleep. Her magic is on a whole other level! There was even a time she transformed into a huge dragon!”

Wait, seriously?

“A dragon!?” Grim gasped. “Dragons are the monsters of all monsters!”

“They’re so cool~!” Ace cheered, pumping his free fist into the air. “Don’t you think?”

“Uh… y-yeah. She’s very… majestic.”

“She is, she is!” Ace agreed, but then his expression shifted. His grin became something a little more… crooked. I almost thought I imagined it until he spoke, voice doing a complete tone swap. He smirked. “Unlike a certain racoon dog.”

“Eh?” Grim’s ears twitched and he looked up.

“Pfft…! Ahaha! I can’t hold it in anymore! Bwahaha!” He broke out into laughter, red eyes a little crazed as he snorted, struggling to speak. “A-Aren’t you the guys that… that went crazy during the entrance ceremony? Haha… man, I can’t even-! You and that one lady got summoned by the Mirror of Darkness, but you can’t even use magic! Not to mention this is an all-boys school; how did it even make such a mistake!? Not to mention the fact that your little racoon friend wasn’t even invited, but he still trespassed! Ahahaha! Ahhh, it took everything I had not to lose it at the ceremony…”

He wiped at his face, feeling tears trying to form.

“A-And to top it all off… you’re stuck as a freaking school janitor! Cleaning up trash! Pfft- talk about lame!” His laughter died down, the boy simply chuckling at us now. “You guys are _such_ a joke. What’s that so-called sister of yours even doing? Mopping the bathrooms?”

That was… unexpected. I took a step back, a bit perturbed by the sudden personality change. “Um, rude. She’s actually cleaning a different street- no thanks to _you_ and everyone else messing it up.”

“I still can’t believe that you didn’t even know about the Great Seven!” Ace snickered, sneering at us. “How ignorant can you be? You should go back to kindergarten before even dreaming of coming here to Night Raven College!”

“Why you…” Grim’s lips curled back in a growl, sharp teeth bared.

“O-Okay, first of all,” I began, placing a hand on my waist and staring him down, not at all amused by this, “I didn’t even want to be here. It was _your_ school’s mirror that summoned me and my sister. Secondly, how am I supposed to know anything? I’m not even from here!”

“Huh? Pfft- that just makes it more funny! You’re like a baby!” He held up his index and middle fingers, walking them along the air with a grin. “Is the wittle bitty baby gonna cry now that her feewings have been hurt? Is she gonna go running to her big sister to save her from the big bad bully?”

“I’m not…” I looked at him, unable to believe what I was hearing. I shook my head. “You know what? Nevermind. I’m not dealing with you. Grim, let’s go.”

I was about to walk away, but the cat monster didn’t move. I froze, staring at his face, realizing very quickly he was about to snap. It wasn’t helping that Ace was still trying to antagonize him.

“Maaan,” The ginger sighed, still giggling a little, “I thought I would mess with you just a little bit, but you both really blew my expectations away! Ah… well, anyway, unlike you guys I actually have classes… so do your best to keep this school squeaky clean, okay?”

He grinned at us, starting to walk away as he waved a gloved hand in our direction.

I narrowed my eyes at him. Holding a hand up, I called out, “I hope you fall and step on a lego~!”

If my sister were here she would one hundred percent curse him out. She also might have picked a fight with him, so it was probably a good thing it was me he encountered and not her. Then again, Grim looked like he was about to lose it. Ace whirled around, walking backwards on his heels, and held up both of his middle fingers, flipping me off and sticking his tongue out at me.

I lowered my hand, grabbing onto my broom. I had half a mind to smack him with it. “Jerk…”

“Beyond jerk,” Grim hissed, tail lashing angrily behind him, “that was pure evil! That guy pisses me off. He thinks he can say all that and then just walk away? I don’t think so.”

I glanced down at him nervously, seeing specks of blue flame drift out of his mouth. I hurriedly held the broom in front of him. “Grim, don’t you dare. You’ll get us in trouble!”

“Who cares!? He made fun of me! Like I’m just gonna let that slide!”

“Grim, don’t-!”

I shrieked, dropping the broom and stumbling back, falling hard onto my rear. Blue flame had come bursting out of his mouth, nearly roasting Ace into cinders had the ginger not managed to sidestep the attack when he heard the yell. The broom, however, was now ruined- turned into nothing more than ash from the extreme heat.

“Wh-What the hell are you doing!?” Ace demanded, glaring at the cat monster. Grim stepped forward, tail swishing back-and-forth angrily. “Are you trying to kill me!?”

“It’s what you get for making fun of me!” He declared. “I’m gonna light that head of yours on fire!”

“Ehh?” Ace placed a hand on his hip, ignoring me as he focused on the cat monster. He pulled out a small pen, one that was near identical to the ones I saw being used in the ceremony, and I noticed that this one’s gem was red. He pointed it at the cat monster. “You’ve got a lot of nerve challenging me. I’ll turn you into a fluffy toy poodle!”

Oh my gods. They’re going to kill each other.

They’re gonna attack each other and kill each other, and the headmaster is going to find out, and then we’re all in trouble. Mae and I won’t have anywhere to stay when that happens! He’ll kick us out, and then we’ll be sent to magical world jail for harming a student.

If this fight escalates any farther… we’re screwed.

So, desperate to prevent that from happening, I hurriedly ran between them, holding my arms out. I could feel the tears stinging my eyes, panic and anxiety mixing together in a very unhealthy concoction.. “G-Guys, stop it! Please! W-We’re all gonna get in trouble if you keep this up, and then-!”

“How about _you_ stop!? No one cares!” Ace held his magical pen up, and then it threw his arm down in a sideways arc movement. “Just shut up and go cry to your sister!”

I didn’t have any time to react. Before I knew what was happening my feet were being lifted off the ground, eyes growing wide as a huge gust of wind suddenly blew me back and sent my flying through air. A short scream left my lips, but then I was gasping- crashing hard onto the ground and rolling for several feet at incredible speed before I crashed into one of the statue platforms.

For a moment things went black, pain exploding all over body. My head throbbed like crazy, ears ringing as all I heard was nothing but empty noise, and with a small hiss I tried to sit up, blinking rapidly as spots danced in my vision. It took a few minutes for me to clear them away, but when I could _focus_ or at least _feel_ again I was vaguely aware of a hand on my back, someone helping me sit up.

“-ear me?”

Huh?”

“Oi! How many fingers am I holding up?”

Ah, okay. That’s a person. I blinked again and flinched, groaning as I leaned forward. I pressed my scratched up hand to my forehead, not at all noticing the blood dripping from the wounds. “I…” Wait. The person is staring at me expectantly, holding a hand. I squinted, trying to count. “F… Four…? No, hold on, that’s…”

Ugh, everything hurts.

“That’s…” I reached out, grabbing his fingers, startling the stranger. “...two.”

I looked up at the person, waiting for the doubles to fade away. He looked… odd. Not in a bad way, but just in a weird otherworldly way. He had brown skin and fluffy silver hair that curled around the middle of his forehead, and golden eyes that seemed to have slits for pupils. I raised my head up higher, having seen something that definitely wasn’t hair move, and I stared.

Ears. He had… animal ears atop his head, and they were twitching.

“Doggy…?”

They moved again, seeming to flick in irritation. The man sighed and shook his head, doing his best not to get angry with me as I was clearly in a disoriented state.

“Wolf.” He corrected, pulling his fingers away and grasping my wrist instead, nose twitching at the smell of blood. He glared at the wounds and then at the duo who were fighting in the middle of the street. “Those _idiots_ … just what’re they thinking!?”

He ground his teeth together and I jolted, looking at him with wide eyes when a _growl_ ripped out of his throat. His lips curled back and a pair of large canines could be seen bared, and it was then I realized he was rather large in stature- being both tall and muscular.

Maybe I was imagining things, as I was still a bit dazed, but… was he not human? He said something about a wolf… oh! Was he a werewolf? Or… just a wolf-man? A beastman! Hmm. Oh, it hurts to think. I cringed, pressing my free hand to my forehead.

The person suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, turning back to me with a flash of realization, his golden eyes meeting mine. “Ah, sorry! Hey, can you stand? I’ll help carry you to the nurse- _not_ because I’m worried or anything.” He quickly added, frowning at me. “I just won’t be able to sleep later knowing that I let some injured person suffer when I could have helped.”

Uh… okay? I’m not too sure how I should respond to that.

I winced again when I tried to stand up, slowly shaking my head. It took a second or two for me to remember how to speak properly. “N-No, no, I’m… I’m fine. I can…”

Frick. The world started to spin around me. The man quickly reached out and grabbed me, catching me before I could fall, and I held onto his arm as I looked up to watch the fight. Heat filled the air from Grim’s flames, wind magic constantly redirecting his attacks. Ace twisted the blasts upwards, sideways, and anywhere that wasn’t near _him_ so he could remain unscathed.

Unfortunately, the cat monster was starting to get frustrated and the student was becoming more and more cocky. I could practically _fee_ l the despair that was raining down upon me. “W-We’re in... so much trouble…”

“You know them?” The stranger questioned. “Ah, that’s right… you were attacked by that monster during the ceremony, weren’t you? Your scent is…”

He hesitated, something seeming to unsettle or disturb him. I watched as he shook his head.

“No, I mean... I recognize it.”

I blinked, looking up at him, still holding onto his arm for support. “Oh... um, wh-who _are_ you, anyway? My… My name’s Iliana.”

“Me? I’m Jack Howl, class 1-B.” He looked back at the battling duo, irritation flashing across his face once more. His ears tilted back. I tried to keep my expression blank when he let out another low growl, honestly a little started and maybe a bit flustered at the sound. “They really are so stupid… wait here. I’m gonna go put a stop them. If they keep going, they’re gonna be in the way of everyone trying to get to class.”

I didn’t protest when he helped me sit down, content with the assist and merely watching as the man called Jack went to deal with Grim and Ace. Unfortunately, he didn’t get very far before the flames went spiraling out of control, the ginger sending them away once again with his wind magic. Jack hurriedly jumped back and ducked, and several people could be heard gasping or letting out disbelieving shouts when the fire went and completely enveloped one of the statues.

Ace almost dropped his pen from the shock, voice cracking mid sentence as the weight of the consequences for his actions loomed down on him. “Th-That’s… oh no. No, no, no. Th-The Queen of Hearts’ statue is… is....”

Completely and utterly charred. The top half was burnt black, leaving not a single trace of that snobbish smile. Jack looked at them, stunned, and then at the statue- his nose twitching as the smell of the smoke and burnt statue reached him. “You guys… are in _so_ much trouble.”

“I-It’s because you blew my fire around!” Grim panicked, hurriedly placing the blame on Ace. “You should’ve just let me roast you!”

Mae is… going to be so mad at me, isn’t she? She and the headmaster both. I promised nothing would happen. I said I would keep the cat monster in line. Now we were going to lose our place in the abandoned dorm, and we won’t have anywhere to go. We’ll be all alone in a world we know nothing about, without magic to help us.

I could feel myself choking up, my heart sinking into my stomach.

Ace sent a glare towards Grim. “You seriously think I would let you do that? Who in their right mind would stay still and let themselves get roasted, huh? No one!”

There’s no way to get out of this. We’re screwed- and all because Grim couldn’t keep his temper in check. I started to sob, bringing a hand up to my face, feeling my throbbing skull start to ache even more. This was a complete nightmare. I can’t believe this was happening.

Lips curling as all the pent up emotions started to bubble their way to the surface, I found myself choking. Why… just _why_ did everything always have to go so wrong!?

I was the one who convinced the headmaster to let Grim stay in the dorm with us. I was the one who promised to keep an eye on him, to stop him from acting out.

This was all my fault.

I’m too weak, too scared, too small. I can’t do anything. I can’t even get one stupid demon cat to listen to me. Now we’re going to be kicked out onto the streets and left to suffer, utterly homeless and without a way to work since we have no credentials, no record, or even an identity in this world!

Mae was going to hate me…

She’s going to want absolutely nothing to do with me, and all because I screwed up!

“H-Hey…” I heard Jack say, the man sounding a bit awkward as he held a hand out. “...what’s wrong? Does it hurt?”

“I…” I pressed my palms against my burning eyes, letting out a small whimper. “I-I can’t…”

I can’t handle this on my own. Tears stinging my eyes, skull throbbing so much to the point I saw black spots, I leaned over, gasping for air between the hiccups and sobs. I just wanted to do this one thing right, but now because I didn’t… everything was going to go downhill and we might not have any way to recover from it.

What do I do? What should I do?

I have no idea.

I hunched over completely, elbows against the ground as I cradled the back of my head, teardrops falling and splashing against the concrete. I was trembling, unable to breathe as the panic became too much. I was just… scared. Scared and anxious and regretful, and so many other things. I had managed to keep my negative feelings about being brought to this world buried so far, only making jokes here-and-there, but this was too much. I can’t do it anymore.

“N-Now what!?” Ace exclaimed, vaguely alarmed by my sudden breakdown. “Why are you crying!? You’re not the one who charred the statue here! The heck is wrong with you?”

Did he… really just ask that?

All the panic seemed to… melt, upon hearing that, and cooled into something harsh. Angry. Boiling. A frozen rage, only shown in my eyes as I lifted up my head, staring the ginger down with icy eyes. Jack tensed from his spot next to me, leaning away with uncertain eyes as he watched me grip the concrete, my body shaking as the tears continued to fall.

“You’re… joking, right?”

“H-Hah?” Ace took a step back, realizing very quickly he made another mistake.

My voice was quiet as I spoke, but it gradually started to get louder. “What’s _wrong_ with me? Because of _you_ my sister and I won’t have anywhere to _stay_ anymore! D… Do you have _any idea_ what… what these past two days have been _like!?_ We’re not even from here! W-We’re not from here, but the mirror kidnapped us anyway! W-We can’t even return home! W-We’re _trapped in this world_ without _anything to our names_ and… and now… w-we…”

I hiccupped, bringing my hands up and wiping furiously at my face, trying and failing to make the tears stop flowing. Like a small child, I found myself wailing aloud,

“N-Now we won’t have anywhere to live at all! I-I can’t… I can’t…!”

I hunched over, forehead against the concrete as I curled my arms over my head, sobbing into nothing.

“I-I can’t do it! I-I had promised… I promised, I promised, I promised! I promised Grim wouldn’t cause a scene! A-And now…”

Now we’re done.

“Mae…!”

Ace made a face, taking a disturbed step back. “Sh-She really _is_ crying for her sister…!”

“Wh-What should we do!?” Grim exclaimed, looking up at the ginger.

They were never able to figure out a plan, for the headmaster’s voice rang out shortly after.

“Will someone please explain _what_ is going on around here!?”

Grim and Ace jumped, visibly frightened, and neither wasted time in attempting to escape. Unfortunately for them, Headmaster Crowley didn’t hesitate in lashing his favored whip at them, knocking the cat monster down and then wrapping it around the ginger’s leg, pulling him down and keeping them from getting too far. The headmaster walked past me to approach them, hitting the ground close to them with the whip when they tried to scramble away. His golden eyes were alight with fury.

Grim let out a whimper. “I-It hurts even more than it did yesterday…”

“It’ll be another hundred years before you can even dream of outrunning me!” Headmaster Crowley declared angrily. ”You really thought you could escape my lash-of-love!? How dare you two cause such trouble on the first day of school? Didn’t I just warn you to not cause any trouble!? Why is one of the statues of the Great Seven charred?”

“Th-That’s…” Ace hesitated.

“You rebellious little… I have half a mind to see you expelled!”

His red eyes went wide and he panicked, holding out a hand.

“W-Wait!” Ace pleaded. “Please, not that! Anything but that!”

“Hmph! And you- the little Belladonna sister!” Headmaster Crowley spun on his heel to face me. He lashed the whip to the side this time, causing me to flinch back and squeak, though I didn’t move to sit up. “Explain the meaning of all this! You were supposed to keep Grim in line.”

“I-I’m sorry… I’m sorry…!”

“You can not call this “supervising”!”

I shrunk even lower, only sobbing harder. It was all over now. “I… I’m… sorry!”

“Hey!” Jack spoke up, glaring at the headmaster, standing up and moving in front of me. He looked rather angry, large arms crossed over his broad chest. A low growl escaped his throat, golden eyes not at all pleased with the situation at hand. “You didn’t even see what happened. You can’t expect her to be able to take on a monster _and_ a student at the same time! When she tried, they sent her flying into one of the statues! Stop yelling at her for something out of her control, and let her go to the infirmary. It’s those two you should be punishing for acting out!”

Headmaster Crowley stared at the beastman for a moment, frowning, before glancing at my trembling form on the ground. I was still muttering apologies.

“...Fine.” The man said, shoulders slumping. “You are… Mr. Howl, yes? I expect you to take her there. And _you-”_

Headmaster Crowley turned to face the orange-haired teenager.

“-what is your name and grade?”

“A-Ace Trappola.” The boy stammered. “First year.”

“Hmph. Then as punishment for helping burn the statue, you are to help Miss Belladonna and Grim here with their duties after class. You and the little monster will clean one hundred windows together. Is that understood, Mr. Trappola?”

“W-Wait…”

I stopped talking, head shooting up shortly after Jack had walked over and knelt down by my side, the teen getting ready to help me up. I wasn’t even sure if I heard things correctly, brain struggling to process what had just been said. “M-Mae and I… we’re not… kicked out?”

“No.” Headmaster Crowley sighed, looking almost apologetic as he glanced at me, realizing he had only made things worse by yelling. “You and your sister still have a home in Ramshackle Dorm.”

“O-Oh…” I looked down, sniffling and furrowing my brows as a few more tears fell. “That’s… That’s good… then…”

“H-Hold on a minute!” Ace shouted, horrified. “You mean I have to clean, too!? But that’s so lame! It was her fault for getting in the way of the fight!”

“I see, I see.” Headmaster Crowley smiled sweetly at him, golden pinpricks flashing dangerously. “So you would rather be expelled after all?”

“...Fine” He grumbled. “I’ll help clean…”

“O-One hundred windows is…” Grim stuck out his tongue, scowling. “That’s way too much! It’s been nothing but misery since yesterday.”

Headmaster Crowley ignored their complaints, focusing his intense stare on the ginger. “After class you will meet them in the cafeteria. Is that understood, Mr. Trappola?”

“...Fine…” Ace sighed.

Jack stared at them for a moment, shaking his head, and carefully wrapped an arm around my back. I blinked, still not quite caught up to the current situation, only to soon let out a small yelp when he lifted me up into his arms, holding me close to his chest.

“Come on,” He said, keeping his eyes forward as he walked past the trouble-causing duo and headmaster, “the infirmary is this way.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwehehe~ the goodest of the wolf boys have shown up! :D Hopefully I wrote him correctly. I haven't even gotten to him in the other fanfic, Once Upon A Dream, yet, as I'm still trying to do the transition between August to October. Like, he had that ONE cameo after Riddle's Overblot, but he didn't really say anything. I just kinda hinted at him being there. So... I'm somewhat worried. 
> 
> But anyway! Who wants to take a guess as to where the "save point" is? :3 
> 
> Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful day/night where you are!


	5. Day Two: Afternoon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I came up with Ambros before RSA's headmaster Ambrose got revealed... which I think is kinda hilarious... 
> 
> So now all I can imagine is Librarian Ambros staring down RSA Ambrose with the scariest of glares. 
> 
> Just: "There's only room for ONE of us."

“You really took quite the hit there.” The nurse informed, a frown heavy on his lovely face. His lips were tilted down into a heavy frown, lavender eyes shimmering with concern. He kept a hand against the injured part of my skull, and I winced against the pressure- feeling something _warm_ emanate from his fingertips. “Just relax, alright? I’m simply using my _unique magic_ to heal it.”

The man then turned to look at the boy who brought me here, a small smile on his lips. Jack sat across from us on one of the other infirmary beds, his arms folded over his chest as he turned away stubbornly. He looked a bit awkward.

“You did a very good job bringing her to me, Mr. Howl.”

Man, this person was just way too pretty. I pouted a little, feeling a bit jealous of his good looks as my brain started to function properly due to the _Healing Touch_ the nurse administered. If the name tag was to be trusted, he was called Poma Salvador.

He was a very dark skinned man, with curly violet hair brushed to the side- the rest of it shaved around his head. He had very long lashes, and his beautiful eyes were only accented by his sparkling blue eyeshadow.

The thing I found weird, though, was his outfit. He was wearing a long labcoat with gray accents and black elbow-length gloves, and a black turtleneck that clung to his figure. He also wore khakis, which felt sort of out of place, but the whole thing was strange because it didn’t seem like normal nurse attire.

Then again, it _was_ another world… so certain customs were probably different.

I blinked, a little distracted by how pretty he was, before turning my gaze to Jack- who was currently twitching his ear, his wolf tail swishing back-and-forth at a surprisingly fast pace. “It’s not as if I even know her. I was just... doing it because the headmaster told me. I don’t care.”

“Mm-hmm.” Nurse Salvador chuckled, expression soft, and I watched as he pulled his hand away from my head, the magic glow fading.

He then turned to my hands, which had dry blood from when a certain monster scratched at them. Using his magic again, I watched as they slowly scabbed over, scarred, and then vanished.

“Well, that’s as much as my magic will let me heal.” The man declared, smiling warmly at me as he retreated his hands. “Thankfully it wasn’t too severe, so you’ll be able to continue your day normally. Also! Since you two have been such _wonderful_ patients-”

Jack opened his mouth to protest, as he wasn’t really a patient more as just a guest, only to pause when he saw the nurse stand and walk over to his desk, picking up something from a small jar. The nurse whirled around on his heels, holding two suckers out to us. The man grinned.

“-have a treat! You deserve it.”

I stared blankly, taking the dark blue lollipop, and Jack hesitated- though clearly didn’t have the heart to refuse the nurse as he soon gave in as well, accepting the piece of orange candy with his face turned stubbornly to the side. Nurse Salvador, wearing a pleased grin, clapped his hands together.

“Alright! I have to go and inform the headmaster about your recovery, Miss Belladonna, seeing as he _is_ watching your familiar at the moment. So if you could do me a favor, Mr. Howl, and watch over her for just a bit longer, that would be wonderful! I’ll try to be as fast as possible.”

Jack really looked like he didn’t want to be here, but he nodded anyway. I guess he didn’t like going against authority, though why he went against the headmaster to help me I still didn’t understand.

Nurse Salvador beamed, waving at us and picking up a clipboard as he walked out of the room. “Thank you~!”

The door closed with a small _click_ and I shifted in my spot on the bed, scooting back and placing my feet on the metal rim beneath the mattress. Touching the back of my head, I felt for the small bump and scratch that was there before, but aside from some dried blood in my hair there wasn’t anything else.

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair and carefully pulling it back up into the ponytail I had it in before. The nurse had undone it earlier so he could get a better look at my head, but now that everything was done it didn’t matter anymore.

Casting a small glance at the boy sitting a few feet away from me, I blinked- realizing he was rather good looking as well. Unlike the nurse and a couple of other people I’ve seen, he wasn’t so much _pretty_ more as he was… rugged.

I resisted the urge to turn away when he looked at me- his ear twitching when he sensed my stare. My face warmed and I tensed, uncomfortable and a bit nervous. “Um, so…”

Frick. Okay. Calm down. No need to panic.

“Your name is… Jack, right?”

“...Yeah.” He nodded at me, tail no longer wagging as quickly as it was back when the nurse had been praising him. It _was_ still swishing back-and-forth occasionally though, which was interesting. He leaned forward, resting his arms over his legs. “How are you feeling?”

Ah, how I hated that question. I never knew how to answer it. “I-I’m… okay, I guess.”

I looked down, lowering my hand from my head and fiddling with my fingers instead. I glanced back up at him, worrying my bottom lip.

“That’s… mostly due to you bringing me here. So… yeah.” I tried for a small grin, flashing him as genuine a smile that I could manage. “Thank you.”

If he didn’t stop the headmaster when he did, Mae and I might not have had a home anymore. He pretty much saved our hides back there. Gruff as he seemed, I was kind of hoping we could be friends.

Jack stared for a long moment, tail swishing a bit faster, and for a split second I thought things were going to go well, but then he turned away with a small click of his tongue. “There’s nothing to thank me for. I just don’t like it when people get the wrong idea or start fighting for a stupid reason.”

Oh… that’s fair, I guess.

A small sigh escaped and I hung my head, a bit disappointed and very much exhausted. Maybe being friends was just a fool’s hope.

“The headmaster should’ve known better than to try and blame you.” The beastman scowled, crossing his arms over his chest again, fingers tapping against his biceps. “Magicless or not, you still tried to stop them. They’re the ones who were out of line. That bastard who sent you flying…”

A low growl rumbled from his throat and I straightened, looking at him with wide eyes. For as calm as he was, he was still furious.

“I won’t forgive him.”

...Maybe it _wasn’t_ a fool’s hope to be friends?

I observed him a bit longer, a small smile spreading across my lips. He seemed a bit intimidating, but he was actually really nice, wasn’t he? I flashed him a closed-eye grin, unlacing my hands and placing them on the edge of the mattress.

“Thank you.”

His head snapped up at that, ears sticking up and tail going still. “What?”

I shrugged, brown eyes staring warmly into gold. My grin widened. “Thank you. I would have been seriously screwed if you didn’t show up. Oh! I’m also sorry for… frick, what did I call you earlier?”

My eyebrows furrowed and I tilted my head, trying to remember. It was a bit hazy.

“D… Doggie? Oh jeez.” I cringed, bringing a hand up to hide my face. “I’m so sorry. I-I didn’t know people could have animal ears or even tails in this world, so I was… really confused. I’d… understand it if you were mad at me or… something, for that.”

Jack said nothing for a few seconds, and then sighed. “As long as you understand that I’m a _wolf_ then it’s fine. Anyway…”

He frowned, looking right at me.

“You said that before. “This world”. What the heck does that even mean? How did you not know about beastmen?”

Ah, frick. Here we go.

“Um…” I scratched the side of my neck, uncertain of how to explain. “I mean I’m _literally_ not from this world? Or dimension? Or whatever you want to call it? Where I’m from magic doesn’t exist.”

He stared.

I hurriedly waved my hands in front of me, moving them around as I talked. “I-I mean, monsters and ghosts don’t exist either! It’s a… uh, strictly human population? Magic creatures and beastfolk don’t exist. We don’t have magic so everything is all technology.”

Jack’s frown deepened, his eyebrows knitting together. “That… doesn’t make any sense.”

I scooted back farther onto the bed, crossing one leg over the other and resting my hands on my lap. “It… It is what it is. You can ask the headmaster about it, if you don’t believe me. He’s the one who figured it out.”

“So… what you said back there-“ He began, piecing all of this information together. “-you really don’t have anywhere to go? Just the abandoned dorm?”

I nodded, shoulder slumping as my face grew solemn. My voice was quiet as I spoke. “Yeah… if my sister and I get kicked out, we won’t have anything. We have… We have nothing in this world.”

The room went silent. You could hear the clock in the wall ticking by, slow and suffocating and loud, and as I waited for a response I tried to figure out what else to say. Before long, however, Jack finally spoke- turning his head away.

“That sounds like a tough situation… but it doesn’t have anything to do with me. You should be more careful to avoid getting that monster into trouble. Otherwise you’re really screwed.”

I didn’t speak up, simply looking down and nodding solemnly. He had a point there; I should have just grabbed Grim like I did before, even if it got my hands scratched up. It was better than being kicked out on the streets without any hope for a job.

Not knowing what else to do, I let out a heavy sigh and fell back- legs dangling off the side of the bed. What was there I can even do to avoid any trouble?

“Ace probably isn’t even gonna go to detention…”

That was problem number one.

“And Grim hates cleaning, so… he might try to skip…”

That was problem number two. Everything has just gone haywire.

A few seconds later a knock on the door happened and then it opened, the nurse entering. “I’m back! Sorry about that, you two. You’re free to go. Miss Belladonna, here’s your familiar!”

He held Grim up for us all to see, the cat monster hissing and wriggling in his hold, the man holding him up by the bow. “Lemme go! I don’t wanna work with the tiny human!”

“Now, now, behave.” Nurse Salvador flashed him a dazzling smile, and the cat monster froze- his ears drawing back almost as if he were afraid. “Remember what the headmaster said?”

Grim grumbled under his breath and the man chuckled, walking over and dropping the creature in my lap after I sat up. Jack’s ear twitched and he stared down at the monster, eyes narrowing almost suspiciously. Expression so _done,_ I placed a hand on the top of Grim’s head.

“I guess we should get back to cleaning then…”

“Blegh!” Grim stuck his tongue at me, though he didn’t complain when I scooped him into my arms and stood. “I hate this! Why did I have to be stuck with you of all people!? And because of you and the fire head I have to clean _one hundred_ windows! You’re the worst!”

“You’re the one that caused _her_ trouble.” Jack suddenly growled.

Grim jumped- startled by the abrupt animosity. I was a little surprised myself, eyes wide as I looked at the beastman. He was standing up, walking over and towering over us both, but his glare was focused solely on the cat monster. I felt tiny compared to him, barely even reaching his shoulders in height, but Grim must have felt even smaller.

“Stop whining and pointing the blame somewhere else.” The tall silver-haired boy snapped. “ _You_ caused this, so _you_ have to deal with it. Got it?”

“...Y… Yeah…” Grim’s claws dug into my skin, the cat monster terrified by such an intense stare.

Jack didn’t remove his glare for a good minute. When he finally did I tensed- for he had turned to look at me. “Don’t let him push you around.” He stated firmly, voice almost scolding. And with that he whirled around, leaving the infirmary without so much as a goodbye.

I was left stunned, wondering what just happened. The nurse himself looked quite surprised, a hand raised to his lips, but then he started to chuckle- wide eyes soon crinkling in that of amusement.

“Someone has an admirer.” Nurse Salvador teased, grinning.

I made a face, instantly disturbed. I looked up at the man. “As if. He’s just being nice.”

It _hated it_ when people said things like that. It was so annoying.

Nurse Salvador held his hands up as if to surrender the argument, though the smile remained plastered to his face. “Of course. Well, I’ve got some paperwork to do. Have a nice day, Miss Belladonna.”

Yes. A nice day.

I’m sure that was what this was going to be.

_Not._

...

It didn’t take Mae as long as she thought it would to sweep up the street.

Even with the occasional student purposefully dropping trash for her to clean, it was still a fairly easy task. Looking around, Mae realized she didn’t know the campus well enough to get to the library from where she stood outside the student store. That was going to cause a bit of a problem.

_Well, nothing will happen if I just wait around here..._

She started to walk, taking off down the path. It wasn’t until she was backtracking from a wrong turn that she noticed students coming out of the buildings. Most likely on break or between classes.

Might as well ask instead of getting lost. Again.

“Hey!” She called, jogging up to one of the students. “Hey, sorry, but could you help me?”

The boy turned around as she approached him, his short green hair complimenting his amber eyes. A smile crossed his face as he adjusted his glasses with practiced ease. “Certainly. What is it that you need?”

“I’m trying to find the library, but this place is so huge I ended up at this big domed building instead.”

“A domed building… ah. You must mean the Hall of Mirrors. That’s in the opposite direction.” He informed, casually placing a hand on his hip. “You’ll want to head back towards Main Street.”

“Main Street, right. And that’s…?”

Letting out a soft chuckle, he pointed down the path. “Main Street will be at the end of this road here. You’ll turn right and then it will be the first building after the statues.”

“Sounds easy enough. Thanks.” Mae started to walk off before stopping, sighing slightly before turning back to him. “And, uh...thanks. For not being an ass like the others.”

The boy blinked at her, clearly confused.

“Others?” Taking a quick glance around them, he noticed some of the other students whispering as they passed, realization dawning on him. “Ah, I see. I take it that it's been a rather trying morning for you?”

“Something like that.”

“Would you like for me to walk you there? I have some free time before my next class.” He offered.

“I should be fine on my own. I’m kinda used to being the odd one out.” She smirked slightly, returning his laugh with a grin of her own.

“Fair enough! My name is Trey, by the way. Trey Clover.”

Taking his extended hand, she nodded. “Mae. Belladonna.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Mae. Let me know if you have any other questions about campus. I know it can be a bit overwhelming.”

“That’s an understatement.” She chuckled, stepping back to swing her broom across her shoulders, arms draped over them. “Well, it’s been fun Mr. Trey Clover. But you’ve got class and I’ve a library to find so~”

She did a mini salute with her pointer and middle fingers as she backed away, grinning all the while,

“~later!”

“Goodbye Miss Mae Belladonna.” She heard him call as she turned around to walk down the path properly, humming all the while.

 _Trey Clover, huh?_ That explains the mark on his cheek. _But he seems friendly enough._

As the statues came into sight Mae smirked. “An honest suit, huh? Well played.”

Turning right onto the Main Street as instructed, it wasn’t until she passed by the charred statue of a large haughty woman that she slowed her pace. Her earlier grin was gone and forgotten as she took in the blackened form.

 _The Queen of Hearts_ if the inscription was to be believed.

Still, there was something about its charred surface that set her on edge. And yet… shaking her head roughly, Mae continued down the street, removing the statue from her mind.

“Hopefully ‘Lia is doing alright…”

With any luck, she’s managed to keep that cat out of trouble.With a last uncertain glance over her shoulder at the empty street, her nerves continued to fuel her unease.

“Hopefully…”

The woman let out a small sigh, shaking her head as she approached the building she was looking for and entering it.

Even though Mae had been in the library yesterday, being in here now - with all the students and light and _life_ \- it was honestly breathtaking. She had never seen a library so big, let alone one she was given free reign over.

And since even the “ever so kind” Headmaster couldn’t find anything about their world - _world, seriously?_ \- and Iliana had said it was fine…

With a determined huff, she stepped up to the reception desk, knocking on the wood lightly.

“Excuse me,” Mae said politely, trying to get the librarian’s attention, “I’m looking for the potions section. Can you point-?”

“List.” Was the slight gravelly command, cutting her off; a black-gloved hand outstretched in front of her.

She blinked. “Come again?”

“List.” The man repeated, flexing his fingers impatiently, eyes focused intently on one of the floating books he was reading.

Mae looked him over, noting the delicate gold ivy trim atop his burgundy vest. Black hair tied back in loose curls as he moved his other hand through the air; books open and flying around him. Even with all of his apparent intricacies and poise, he couldn’t even be bothered to turn around and _look_ at her.

_Dude, rude._

“Look, I don’t have a list. I just need to know where the potion section-”

His hands froze, shoulders tensing. “You don’t have a Readings list?”

His tone was more accusatory than anything, the books closing and floating to rest on the desk as he _finally_ turned to face her, an ebony brow raised over cold teal eyes as they took her in, searching her over yet finding no answers.

“What’s your class?”

“I’m not here for a class.” She informed.

“Then what is your grade?” He demanded.

“I’m not in any grade. I just-”

“ _Then for what reason are you wasting my time?_ ”

Oh. Oh, hell no.

_You fucking prick._

Narrowing her eyes, Mae set her broom down on the ground _less_ than gracefully- free hand now a fist on her hip as she glared. “Look, this is how it’s gonna work. _You_ are going to tell me where the Potions section is so that _I_ can go and read. Then I can leave you the hell alone instead of wasting _both_ of our time because you couldn’t have been bothered to answer my question _the first time_. So,” She barked, glowering at the man with steely resolve, “where is it?”

The man stared at her for a moment - as if debating on frying her with magic or just kicking her out- before letting out a soft hum as he crossed his arms over his desk, leaning on them as he watched her. His teal eyes seemed to glow against his pale skin. He appeared almost… intrigued.

“Third floor, northwest corner. They’re sorted by grade level then by type.”

Well that’s more like it.

“Thanks.” Turning to head to the stairs, she slung her broom back over her shoulders. She only stopped when he called out to her again.

“What is your name, child?”

“Belladonna.” She responded, turning to face him with a slight pout. “Mae. And I’m not a kid.”

“Perhaps not, but all are children to me.” With an elegant flourish of his hand, he stepped back, the books rising once more into the air. “My name is Ambros. Do let me know if you require anything.”

Huh. Alright then. “Sure thing, teach.”

And with that she was off. Losing herself to the many halls of scrolls and pages residing within the library's expansive collection. There were all kinds of different books on potions: potion histories, transformations and anthro dynamics, magic enhancements, elixirs vs. potions, common ingredients and salves.

Literally anything you could think of in regards to potion making was here, and it was all laid out beneath her fingertips. Ready to be opened and explored and tested again and again. All that mattered now was choosing where to start.

And start she would.

Pulling a faded grey book from the shelf, she began her dive into learning about this world. Starting with _Histories of Sages: Potions of the Ever Changing_.

Yeah, she could do this.

It didn’t take Mae long to section off a corner of the library for herself. The table she’d taken as her own piled high with different books; some of them open and propped up against the looming stacks on different pages or chapters.

A _Magical Compendium & Index_ set open closest to her to look up any words or information she didn’t understand. Letting the warm daylight filter in through the window as she read, eyes pouring over the pages and soaking up every last detail she could, moving between the open books for more insight on what her current text was speaking of.

It wasn’t until a quick rap of knuckles on the table's wooden surface jarred her from her task that she jerked her head up in surprise; gaze finding that of Ambros’ tall form leaning slightly over her tower of books.

“I figured you hadn’t noticed the students leaving. It’s time for lunch now.” He informed, standing up to his full height as he gestured to the stairs.

Is he serious?

 _It can’t be lunchtime yet. It’s only been a few hours_. The low grumbling of her stomach made itself known, breaking her chain of thought easily as an embarrassed flush colored her cheeks. _Fuck._

“S-Sorry.” She muttered, standing up quickly as she tried to gather all of the open books together.

He cocked his head to the side, glancing among the many titles scattered around her. “I am quite familiar with losing track of time in pursuit of learning. Your apologies are unnecessary.”

He said this matter of factly; his tone making it seem almost as though her apology was an insult. Almost.

“Right. I, uh...am I able to check these out? I plan on coming back after lunch is over anyway.”

“No need.” Ambros informed as he turned to head towards the stairs again. “They will be left for you until you return.”

Wait. What?

“Really?” She asked, taking a glance at the books before hurriedly deciding to follow after the librarian. “What if an actual student wants to check out one of them? I figured they’d have priority over me.”

“Pursuit of learning comes before pursuit of apathy.” He said. The words were stated with force, as if they were a personal law for the man. An ideal. “The books shall remain until you return. What you decide to do with them after is your choice.”

“So I can just… keep them to read if I wanted?”

“The books belong to the library, so no; you cannot _keep_ them.” He stated, exasperated. “But you may _borrow_ them at your leisure. So long as you do not cause them harm or use them for the purpose of malice towards another student.”

“That’s…”

“To your benefit?”

“Awesome!”

He jerked slightly, looked down at her with furrowed brows. Mae was becoming more of an enigma with every word she spoke to him.

“Yes, well. The collection is rather awe inspiring.” The man claimed. They stepped off the landing, rounding upon the library entrance as he held the door open for her. Gesturing again for her departure, he spoke. “Till later then, Miss Belladonna.”

“Sure thing, teach.” She grinned.

He scoffed lightly, shaking his head at her, “I am not a professor so there is no reason for you to call me… eugh, _teach_. I am simply the keeper of the library and it’s vessels.”

“Whatever you say.” She muttered with a chuckle as she took off towards the main campus. Waving behind her as she went, “I’ll be back in a bit Professor Ambros!”

He gawked after her as she ran, affronted by her clear lack of having listened to him. “I just stated-!”

Ambros let out a sigh.

“Nevermind, simple child. At the very least…”

His words were a quiet whisper as he went back inside, the doors closing on behind him as though sealing off the rest of the world from the library and its wonders.

“...she’ll afford me some amusement.”

…

We got most of the street clean, circumstances considered.

I cringed upon seeing the charred statue, though. It was only when the school bell rang and all these students came rushing out, that I realized it had gotten late. I was about to keep sweeping too, when a pair of arms wrapped around me from behind. I yelped, startled and a bit panicked at being touched, and I only relaxed when I saw who it was.

I brightened, grinning at her. “Mae!”

“Hey, short-stop. According to a _very_ grumpy librarian, it’s time for lunch.” Her purple lips twisted into a smirk. “You hungry?”

“Uh y-yeah, actually. A little.”

Grim wandered up, dropping his broom with a groan. “Finally! It’s about _time!_ I was gonna starve to death!”

Mae scrunched her nose up at him. “Drama queen. Well. Come on, you two.” She wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Let’s get going. We’ll find the cafeteria by following the crowd.”

Ah, lovely. One of my favorite things. Crowds. As we walked Mae looked down at me, noting the way I was carrying both the brooms _and_ Grim. She frowned, and then blinked- eyes wide as she reached up to fiddle with my ponytail.

“‘Lia…” I hummed, curious, looking up at her as we headed up the staircase. “Is this blood?”

I faltered. “I-It’s still there?”

I had been hoping it got it out when I was tying my hair up earlier. I guess not.

“What?” She was staring at me intently now, not at all happy with this reveal. “What are you talking about?”

I cringed. There was no escaping this conversation now. I screwed up and now she’s worried. “There was… a fight earlier when I was sweeping. This student stopped to tell us about the statues, but he was just pretending to be nice, so when… he showed his true nature he picked a fight with Grim and they charred a statue.”

“Okay, but how the _hell_ did that include you getting hurt?”

“...”

“Sorry,” She said, tone fierce, demanding me to speak, “I didn’t _hear_ you.”

“H… He threw me… with wind magic.” I mumbled. If I was holding holding Grim and the brooms, I surely would have ducked my head down and fiddled with my sleeves. “I went to the infirmary after that. Some really nice dude with wolf ears carried me there...”

“Wolf ears- _what?”_ Mae looked even more confused. “There’s a dude with wolf ears?”

I nodded. “Yeah! He’s super nice and tall and a bit scary looking, but his name is Jack! I think you’ll like him. He stopped the headmaster from getting mad at me.”

Mae blinked, processing this information before she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Okay, first off: you’re gonna have to show me this Jack guy so I can thank him for helping my small marshmallow in her time of need.” She gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze, being careful as to not make me drop Grim or the brooms. Her hazel green eyes bore into mine. “Secondly, you’re gonna tell me _who_ hurt you so I can kick his ass.”

“He’s- I mean,” I paused, eyebrows furrowing, “he’s already in trouble. Dude is gonna be helping me clean windows later as a detention thing, so...”

“Already in trouble or not, he purposefully instigated a fight just because you can’t use magic.” Her frown returned, gaze stern. “I still want you to tell me who it was so I can make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

I opened my mouth to protest, only to pause. Mae had a point. Ace _did_ make fun of us, and that in turn caused Grim to act out, which eventually led to the magic battle. I sighed, lowering my head in defeat as we entered the cafeteria.

“His name was… Ace, I think? He’s tall and ginger. I don’t really remember.”

Mae hummed slightly at that, reaching over and plucking Grim from my grasp as she settled him against her. He scrunched his nose up, not at all pleased to be near her. “Grim, is that right? Is what ‘Lia said about the boy correct?”

The cat monster scowled, averting his gaze from Mae- even as she stared him down. “It wasn’t _my_ fault. That Ace brat wouldn’t stop bullying us!”

“I see.” She smiled that ‘shark in the water’ kind of smile as she gently scratched behind Grim’s ears, eyes now scanning the crowd of students. “I appreciate your honesty! I’ll be sure to make sure the Headmaster brings you an extra tuna can for your _assistance_.”

Grim perked up at that, though he didn’t look as though he fully trusted her. She was totally manipulating him right now. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her like this. It was kinda nice. “Really? You mean it?”

“Of course.”

Hazel orbs looked back down at him, hand never stopping in its scratching.

“You may not have much tact with words, but you are honest. I trust that you fought this Ace kid in defense of both you _and_ Iliana. Isn’t that right, pipsqueak?” She looked at me then, winking mischievously.

“Uh, y-yeah,” I stammered, “of course.”

Is that what happened? It kind of felt like Grim was just attacking Ace in defense of himself, but… whatever. I won’t rain on his parade. Maybe if we act nicer to him now, he’ll stop being so mean later.

I flashed Mae an awkward smile, nodding along. It was at that moment that we were able to enter the lunch line, Mae taking and setting our brooms out of the way, and we collected the trays we needed.

Lunch, at least, was peaceful. She informed me about the library and it’s keeper, and how excited she was to try out all these different potions she’s read about after she managed to collect ingredients. I relaxed a little during this, relieved that Mae was having a much better day than I was.

Putting all three of our trays away after we finished eating, we bid adieu. I grabbed my broomstick and left to finish sweeping Main Street. It took a hot minute, especially with Grim constantly complaining, but we got it done.

Now all that’s left is to wait in the cafeteria for Ace.

...Which surely isn’t going to take much longer, right? Classes ended ten minutes ago, so maybe he’s just lost. It’s a big school after all and it’s only the first day.

Five more minutes passed… and I shifted anxiously in my spot, standing up from the cafeteria chair and wandering over to the doors to peek outside. Grim’s tail lashed back-and-forth irritably. He was starting to get angry, and I began to pace around the room.

“...”

Something was definitely up. Frick.

Grim jumped out of the chair, furious. “He’s totally skipping out on us! I’m not gonna let him get away with this! I wanna ditch too, y’know!”

Oh gods. Okay. I glanced down at him and then back at the door, and leaving the broomstick behind I hoisted the cat monster up into my arms. I was just about to walk out of the room and into the hallway when a firm wall suddenly appeared out of nowhere, my face slamming right into it and sending me stumbling back. I yelped, crashing down hard onto my rear, and looked up startled to see what was there.

“O-Oi…” A familiar voice said, surprised. A pair of gold eyes looked at me, silver wolf ears twitching almost guiltily from atop his head. “You okay?”

“No!” Grim snapped, climbing out from my hold and hissing. “That Ace jerk totally skipped out on detention!”  
  


“I wasn’t talking to you.” Jack stated bluntly, voice taking a slightly more gruff tone to it before softening when he focused on me. He watched as I sat up, mumbling to myself, and I shakily stood. “Seriously, are you okay? I didn’t expect you to just run out of the room like that.”

“I-I’m fine. What, uh,” Frick. The nurse’s words suddenly came to mind and I tried to ignore how awkward I was now behaving. Stammering, I scratched the side of my neck, “What’re you doing here?”

The buff silver-haired giant crossed his arms over his chest; which led me to realize that the wall I had run into earlier must have been him. I was short compared to most people, but this guy was a tower. Jack turned his head away, glancing to the side, tail swishing a bit faster than usual. “I just wanted to make sure that one troublemaker wasn’t going to avoid detention… so don’t get the wrong idea!”

I jolted, blinking in surprise when he raised his tone and directed a frown at me.

“It wasn’t like I was worried or anything. I just hate people who don’t own up to their mistakes.”

Ah. Wait, a second.

I could be overthinking and looking way too much into this, but the way he phrased it almost made it sound like he _was_ actually worrying about me and didn’t want to admit it. Against my will, a warmth blossomed in my chest- welling up inside and causing a huge grin to curl up on my lips, beaming and bright. Jack blinked, a little startled by the sudden change of expression.

“Of course!” He really was the nicest person in this place. A huge part of me was really hoping we could be friends. “Ace is a jerk. Grim and I were actually about to go hunt him down and stuff, so…”

“Hah?” Oh, boy. He didn’t look happy. Jack clicked his tongue. “So he did skip out.”

The way his tail swished seemed almost angry now. Glancing at the door, a low growl ripped out from his throat and I tensed- looking up at him in alarm. Back home I was terrified of dogs- too may times they chased me and even bit at me when I was just trying to get the chickens back into the pen. In the end it failed, as after a few months they ate them all, but it left me with a huge fear of aggressive canines who barked or got excited around me. I could handle calm and older dogs just fine, but the super hyper ones seriously freaked me out.

Needless to say, them growling had me backing away more often than not.

That’s why I was so surprised now. Jack growled, like _literally growled_ in front of me, but I wasn’t scared. I mean, it was intimidating, yeah, but also… something I wasn’t sure how to explain. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up and caused goosebumps to run along my arms, yet it also made my heart jump in… a good way?

It was… strange. Maybe it was because he was a wolf? Or, well, a very human-looking wolf, anyway.

I vaguely remember him making the sound before, though I can’t recall if it was in the infirmary or at the street where the fight took place. Still- compared to all the dogs who chased me as a kid, this was somehow better. Cooler, even. It made me want to be friends with Jack even more- unlike a certain two-faced someone.

Wait… oh, frick, Ace! I almost forgot.

“Y-Yeah.” I nodded quickly, anxiety starting to well up as I leaned to the side to peer past Jack and into the hallway. “W-We need to find him. Otherwise… the headmaster might…”

He might get mad again.

I trailed off, unable to finish as the terror of making another mistake came crashing down on me. We barely got out of being kicked into the streets the first time, but if something happened when we try to find Ace? I’m… not sure I would be able to live with myself. This school and that awful rundown building is all my sister and I have.

Jack stared at me for a moment, before raising a hand up and ruffling his hair with a tired sigh. “Fine… I’ll help. He wore a bright red uniform and had a heart painted on his face, right? So… he should be a Heartslabyul student. If he’s skipping out, he probably went back to his dorm to laze about. Come on. I’ll take you to the Hall of Mirrors.”

My eyes widened. The man turned around, starting to walk away, and I hurriedly picked Grim up to follow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poma is twisted from both Kronk and Yzma, while Ambros is twisted from Tangled's Mother Gothel. You can see pictures of them up on my tumblr- which is the same name I go by on here "avionvadion". 
> 
> What did you guys think? Still somewhat struggling writing Jack's character, but I think I'm getting better at it...


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